Every Monday in the summer, I make sure to stop at the tailgate market that sets up in a church parking lot in my neighborhood. All the farmers are from this area and sell wonderful produce.

        It's familiar stuff, despite an occasional puzzling sign. But I understand the sign for “mangoes” — many people where I grew up called green peppers mangoes — and I know Indiana melons are just cantaloupes. But I never understood why some of the beans are “half runners” and some are stringless, or bush, or Kentucky Wonders.

        I always buy the skinny, bright green ones that look like grocery store beans. But there are people who walk right past those and only buy half-runners. I never understood this, since they look bumpy and not as green. And you never see anything called “whole runners.”

        Since they know beans, I asked produce sellers Clarence Neltner and Donna Kluba to explain the difference.

        • Half runners have a string down one side that you have to pull off before you cook. The bean inside is more developed. They're Ms. Kluba's favorite.

        “They're just a nice, mild bean,” she says. “They're more work to cook and to pick, because they run all over. That's why they're more expensive.”

        Many people like to buy shelling beans, like crowder peas or cranberry beans, to cook along with half-runners, Mr. Neltner says.

        • Bush and stringless beans are the same thing: beans that are easier to prepare than half-runners because there's no string to pull off, and to grow because they're on bushes, not vines. Mr. Neltner thinks younger people go for the stringless. That makes sense. They're much better for cooking quickly, keeping them crispy-tender and bright green.

        I bought some half-runners recently, even though I was skeptical. After I cooked them for the five minutes or so I usually give green beans, they were still too tough to eat. After 10 minutes, they were edible, but not until at least 15 minutes were they really ready. I didn't think they had much flavor at that point, but I guess that's why people cook them with fat back or cottage ham. Without the bigger bean in the pod, stringless beans don't really stand up to this kind of cooking.

        • There's another kind of bean I buy when I see them. Roma beans are an Italian bean, broad and flat. You can't cook them crispy like stringless beans, but in just a few minutes, they cook up tender and with a substantial, meaty texture. They're good cooked with tomatoes and garlic.

        • Then there are wax beans, just like stringless beans, only yellow.

        • And I came across another kind of bean at Gorman Heritage Farm on Reading Road. They were a deep purple, and I had an idea that I'd make green bean salad with purple basil and purple bean salad with green basil. But disappointingly, the purple disappeared when I cooked them.

        I usually eat fresh green beans in salads. Cooked crunchy, then marinated, they're very satisfying. Here are two of my favorite recipes:

Summertime Green Bean Salad

        1 quart fresh stringless green beans
        1 teaspoon salt
        1/2 teaspoon pepper
        Juice of two lemons
        1 small can anchovies
        1 tablespoon olive oil
        Bring a pot of water to boil, add green beans and boil just until tender and bright green.
        Mix lemon juice, salt and pepper, sprinkle on beans. Mash anchovies in their own oil and add olive oil. Add to warm beans and stir. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Basque-Style Green Beans

        1 pound Roma or half-runner green beans
        1/4 cup olive oil
        2 cloves garlic, minced
        1 large onion, chopped
        1 pound peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped
        1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons salt
        Freshly ground black pepper
        Large pinch dried oregano

        Wash and trim the green beans and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Bring a medium-size pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

        Heat the olive oil in a fairly large saucepan or skillet and saute the garlic and onions. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer.

        Plunge the green beans into the boiling water and boil them for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to the tomato sauce. Add a little water if needed to cover the beans. Add salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour.

        Stir in the oregano. Serve hot.

        The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two (Knopf; $20)

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