There is a type of green bean that all the old timers/ grandparents in our area would say is “The green bean” you should grow nothing else is worth your time. We call them “half runners” I haven’t found large seed suppliers carry them. But you can buy them at local feed and seed stores in a brown paper bag. I’ve grown these beans and my experience is that they are very tough and chewy. Maybe I’m just bad at growing them. But they are excellent if you are canning or making ham, potatoes, and green bean dishes which are typically cooked for half a day around here. They hold their texture and don’t turn to mush. No one said why the half runners were must have, the older generation just assumed you would be canning.

I don’t know how common potatoes, green beans, and ham is outside of southwest Ohio. Maybe very common? But around here how long that dish is cooked is tied to the expectation you are using half runners. But it’s all unexplained and unspoken.