Bedford County Post

4A —Bedford County Post, Wednesday, June 19, 2024 Green Beans with Cherries and Bacon Whitney Danhof Extension Agent G reen beans, also known as string beans or snap beans, are a versatile and nu- tritious vegetable for the summer. Named for the sound they make when broken into pieces to cook, they are also known as string beans because older variet- ies had strings down the sides of the pods that had to be removed. Most vari- eties today are stringless. Although we often call these green beans, they come in lots of colors like yellow (also known as wax beans), purple, green and speckled. Some vari- eties are cylindrical while others are fl at and wide. No matter what variety you use or what you call them, snap beans are a favorite of both adults and children. Green beans are easy to prepare and o ff er a delightful canvas for cre- ativity. Of course, most people in the south en- joy them simmered well with seasoning like ham, but they can be enjoyed many other ways as well such as sauteed or roast- ed or even raw. Look for undam- aged pods that are fi rm (not wilted) and snappy with small beans inside. Larger sized beans in the pods indicate more ma- ture beans and they may have tougher pods. Try to choose beans that are similar in size to ensure even cooking. Beans have two ways they grown – either on a bushy plant (bush beans) that tends to bear in a short time frame or on a vining plant (pole beans) that climbs up a support and bears over a longer period. The bush beans are generally bet- ter for canning or pre- serving as they all come in at once while the pole beans come in fewer at a time for fresh eating – al- though you can use them either way. The growth habit doesn’t determine the fl avor or type of bean – just the way in which it produces. Here are a few di ff erent varieties: Haricot verts or French Beans – These are longer, thinner and more tender than most green beans. The name is French for green bean. These are excellent for salads or for sauteing and are usually very tender. Blue Lake – This va- riety is one of the stan- dards of the bush beans (it also comes in a pole version) with cylindrical pods and tiny beans in- side. It is a popular can- ning bean. Romano – These beans are a fl at podded pole bean that can be green, yellow or purple. They are crisp and sweet and can be used for fresh eating or canned. This type of fl at podded bean is often referred to as Italian beans and are pre- ferred by some people. Yellow Wax – These beans are a bush bean and are like the green beans except for color. They are often used in three bean salads. The recipe below cooks the beans in the microwave until crisp tender and then they are sauteed in bacon drip- pings until the desired texture (crisp or soft). A topping of dried cherries, goat cheese, almonds and the crumbled bacon is added over the top. Very festive and fl avorful dish. You can substitute feta or even shavings of Parme- san cheese for the goat cheese or dried cranber- ries or raisins for the cherries. Green beans are a de fi nite family friendly side for the summer. Put some on your plate this month with your grilled or baked meat or poultry. For more information and recipes check out the Seasonal Eating page at bedford.tennessee.edu . Green Beans with Cherries and Bacon 6 slices bacon 1 (12-ounce) bag hari- cot verts or green beans salt black pepper 1/2 cup dried cherries 2 ounces goat cheese 1/4 cup toasted, sliv- ered almonds In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and remove and crumble. Drain o ff all but about 2-3 tablespoons of the drip- pings. Place the green beans in a microwave bowl with a little water, cover and cook just un- til crisp tender. Drain and pour beans into pan with bacon drippings. Cook, stirring until ten- der. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into serv- ing dish and top with dried cherries, crumbled goat cheese, almonds and reserved bacon. I n compliance with a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling for all law enforcement to notify the public of when and where a roadblock will be held, the Tennessee Highway Patrol is advising all mo- torists of the following upcoming checkpoints. The court require proof roadblocks are conduct- ed in the best interest of overall public safety and THP’s checkpoint times and locations are strate- gically selected through crash and crime data col- lection to maximize their overall e ff ectiveness and e ffi ciency. Driver License Checkpoints: Recognizing the dan- ger presented to the pub- lic by unquali fi ed drivers, Troopers will concentrate their e ff orts on vehicles being operated by driv- ers who violate the driver license laws of Tennessee and take corrective ac- tion for other violations observed. The Tennessee High- way Patrol has found these driver license road- side safety checkpoints to be an e ff ective means of enforcing driver license laws of Tennessee while ensuring the protection of all motorists. Sobriety Checkpoints: June 21, 2024 at 9 p.m. on State Route 82 South at the 6.5 mile marker in Bedford Coun- ty. Troopers will evaluate driver for signs of alcohol or drug impairment and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the pro- tection of all motorists. The Tennessee Highway patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly visible and an ef- fective tool in the battle against impaired driving. Safety Belt Checkpoints: Recognizing the dan- ger presented to unbelted vehicle occupants. Troop- ers will target those who operate a vehicle while unbelted and take cor- rective actions for other violations observed. The Tennessee Highway Pa- trol recognizes that safe- ty belt checkpoints are highly visible and e ff ec- tive tools of enforcing the safety belt laws of Ten- nessee while ensuring the protection of vehicle occupants. Upcoming checkpoints The Bedford County Farmers’ Market is about as close to “farm-to-table” as you can get. Only local farmers are allowed to be vendors and pro- duce has to be locally grown.The market opened for the seasonThursday. Each Thursday, from 2:30 p.m. to until vendors are ready to leave, the market will be open through September. County extension director John Teague says the market has attracted as many as 20 to 22 vendors with sweet corn and tomatoes two of the biggest attractions. –Photo by Mark McGee Local vegetables for sale Blankenship Community Church 3602 Midland Rd., Shelbyville, TN 37160 WE ARE IN A NEW SEASON !! Join us for a Blankenship Family Reunion/Open House! Saturday, June 29 3:00-8:30p.m. Come join us for food, fun & fellowship Blankenship Style! T he June Shelbyville Woman’s Club guest speaker was Dr. Jon An- derson, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Murfrees- boro Medical Clinic. Dr. Anderson spoke to the members about general & high risk Obstetrics & Gynecology, pelvic health & reconstruc- tion surgery, abnormal cervical cytology, mini- mally invasive surgery, menopause manage- ment & robotic surgery. The MMC o ffi ce address is 1272 Garrison Dr., Murfreesboro and their phone number is 615- 867-8030. Jon Anderson, DO, speaking to the Shelbyville Woman’s Club at the monthly meeting. L-R: Jon Anderson, DO with his nurse, Sidney Enke, CCMA. Dr. Jon Anderson guest speaker at Woman’s Club T he Shelbyville Wom- an’s Club 2023-2024 Scholarship recipients each representing a Bed- ford County high school. Claire Perry is a graduate of Cascade High School and will be attending UT Southern inPulaski toplay softball andmajor in Busi- nessManagement. Emma Ralston is a graduate of Community High School. She will be attending Tennessee Tech and pursuing a degree in Environmental Science. Kylie Boyette is the Shelbyville Central High School recipient and she will be attending MTSU. Kylie plans to study El- ementary Education and then on to LawSchool. L-R: Claire Perry, Emma Ralston & Kylie Boyette Scholarship recipients The Heart of the Home FCE club met on May 6 at the extension Of- fi ce. CeceliaDougan called the meeting to order and gave the devotion. The Educational lesson was”Count your Blessings Instead of Sheep”. Roll call was answered by 4 members. Morris, Hurt and Fann attended a meeting with Butler’s Creek to make up a mixed meeting. Donnetta Hurt read the minutes. Marie Spence gave the treasurer’s report. Club donations were 11 medicine bottles for the Dog Rescue. Finalized plans for Share Fair with Fann to represent the club. Reminders of CVU hours and County Council Meeting. Club member demon- stration by Fannwith a pa- triotic item for Share Fair and fl owersmadewith cof- fee fi lters and cupcake bak- ing cups. The next meeting will be on June 25th at 10:30 a.m. at the Extension Of- fi ce. FCE Club Reports