Spots on green beans: Causes, risks, and prevention tips

Spots on green beans can have different causes. Some are harmless and are mainly due to poor pod storage. Others can be potentially dangerous to the human body. It's better to know so you won't regret it later!

Green beans are one of my favourite summer delicacies. Served in breadcrumbs (or in other ways), they are a unique snack, and we haven't yet heard of a case where someone says no to such a dish. Sometimes, however, there is a situation in which we should decide to say no. It's about the spots that sometimes appear on green beans. Where do they come from? How can we prevent them? And most importantly, is eating such pods dangerous? We answer all these questions in the rest of the article.

If you notice spots on green beans, you should know that there are two possible causes for this situation. The first is the so-called thermal stress of the vegetable. Green beans are pretty sensitive to temperature changes and react quickly to them. Pods stored too long in bags (especially plastic ones) steam, and in an environment below 8 degrees Celsius — freeze. While the latter process mainly negatively affects the taste of the vegetable, heat can contribute to the faster development of various types of infections.

This brings us to the second possible cause of spots on green beans. From the moment the vegetable experiences thermal stress, it is only one step away from spoiling. Our attention should always be drawn to the suspicious smell of the beans and visible clusters of mould. Remember, the appearance of this fungus makes the vegetable inedible. Cutting off the piece infected with mould won't help!

Mould is just one of the possible diseases that can affect green beans. Spots — especially silvery and brown ones — can be a symptom of the presence of the pea thrips, which not only "settle" on our meal but also leave their excrement there.

Another colour of spots—light brown with a watery or light green outline—is a symptom of halo blight. This means that our vegetable has been attacked by the bacterium Pseudomonas savastanoi. In both cases, the bean pods are not suitable for consumption and should be disposed of immediately!