Not all green beans are alike. The longer the bean was on the vine, the tougher it can be. Fresh, young beans should be able to cook up perfectly well in less than 6 minutes. Tough old beans, you’ll have to cook a lot longer to get them tender. Look for beans that easily snap in half when you bend them.  There are those who would add some sauted onions.

Ingredients:

• 10  pound fresh green beans, ends snipped off and discarded, extra long beans, cut in half if you want
• Salt
• 1 lb bacon
• Black pepper
• 5 Tbsp lemon juice or cider or red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat a pot of salted water to a rolling boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water).
2. Add the green beans and boil them for 4-5 minutes, until just tender enough to eat (you may have to cook longer depending on the particular green beans you have).
3. Drain and set aside.
4. While the water is heating up to boil the beans, slowly cook the bacon until crispy in a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat.
5. Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan.
6. Set the bacon on paper towels to sop up the excess fat. Pour off any fat beyond 2 tablespoons. (Do not pour the fat down the drain or you’ll stop up your drain.)
7. Once the green beans are cooked, sauté them over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes in the bacon fat.
8. Dice the bacon and add to the pan and sauté another minute.
9. Put the beans and bacon into a large serving bowl and sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper.
10. Toss with lemon juice or vinegar and serve at once.

Serves:  50

Source:    ????

FYI 2 lbs of green beans = 8 cups, serves 12