Green beans, also known as green beans and green beans, are produced commercially throughout the world. They are easy to plant and grow and delicious to eat. The largest green bean production in the United States is found in Oregon, Wisconsin, and western New York (Taber, 1). A little history on the first American beans; Beans are one of the longest cultivated plants. The common bean has been cultivated for six thousand years in the Americas. Columbus and other early explorers discovered that Native Americans planted green beans in their corn gardens, and many older, shade-tolerant, long-maturing bean varieties still exist from companies selling heirloom seeds. These early American beans are harvested when the pods are full of immature beans. Stringing the beans is an obligatory step in their preparation. There are over 4,000 registered bean cultivars in the United States alone. The world leader in green bean production is Brazil, followed by India and then China. Here are some statistics from a study done in June 2008: Green bean production in Brazil exceeds 3 million, India is 3 million, China almost 2 million, Mexico 1.3 million, the United States 1, 1 million and all added together, adding the countries mentioned and many others, the total number of green beans produced in 2008 was almost 20 million. (FAOSTAT data) Green beans come in many shades of yellow, purple, green and red. All colored beans are called "green beans" because they are extracted and eaten in an immature stage, that is, right before the seeds are fully ripe. There are two types of podded beans, round podded beans and flat podded beans. Most canned green beans with round pods have round, plump pods with very few seeds inside...in the center of the paper...good to eat. Works Cited"Facts About Green Beans." Cooking activities for children. 2006. February 19, 2011. .Pleasant, Barbara. “Growing real green beans.” News from Mother Earth. September 2006. February 9, 2011. ."Statistics by subject." USDA NASS. 2010. February 19, 2011. Taber, Henry G.. “Green Bean Production.” Iowa State University. March 2009. February 11, 2011. “Top 5 Green Bean Producing Countries.” Top 5 of anything. February 19th. 2011. .