This section is from the book "Practical Cooking And Serving", by Janet McKenzie Hill. Also available from Amazon: Practical Cooking and Serving: A Complete Manual of How to Select, Prepare, and Serve Food [1919].
French beans (flageolets) come to us dried and canned. The cost of the dried bean is about thirty-five cents per pound; one fourth a pound is enough for a family of five, at a meal where some other substantial is served. To preserve the green color, set to cook, without soaking, in cold salted water, bring quickly to the boiling point, change this water for other boiling water, salted as before, and replenish with boiling water as needed. Let simmer until perfectly tender. Season with pepper and butter; onion juice or lemon juice, and chopped parsley may be added at discretion. Flageolets make a good purée.
 
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