To harvest them, you have to bend down the whole time while prying every little bush apart and find the bean pod, not any bean pod, but the perfect one! 

What is a perfect bean pod?  It should have the perfect size: not too short (undergrown), nor too long (overgrown).  If it is too short, the full flavor will not be there and our taste buds will find it not so delicious; if it is long, it becomes stringy and our teeth will find it difficult to chew. 

It cannot be too thick either because thick ones accumulate too much water and our mouth will find them watery; and nor curved, because our eyes will find it not so pleasing on a plate.

So, the perfect one is the one that perfectly pleases our picky palate as well as our demanding eyes! 

The difference in growth between a pod that is too short or too long is a matter of days: the bean pod that is too short today can be too long after tomorrow. Therefore harvesting will be done over and over again for 2 to 3  days. All the bean pods that are too short or too long or too thick or curved will be rejected and not exported. They will be sold at a local market for an inferior price.       

I used a “master” bean pod (a perfect one) as a measuring stick!

To harvest them, you don’t just pluck them out of the plant. You cut the little branch to which the pod is attached with your nails.

If the end of the pod breaks and the inside gets exposed, water or bacteria can get in and spoil the beans. 

After 45 minutes of harvest, I managed to collect a handful of beans, which were carefully laid in a bucket.

Then all pods are collected and transported for export.

So, next time  you savor your perfect green bean, remember all the work that took place before, in order to provide you with the perfect taste!

Enjoy!