*These Roasted Green Beans are so simple to prepare, and incredibly flavorful from olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and sea salt. Serve these as a side with roasted chicken or salmon!*

When I was growing up, we were instilled with an intrinsic sense of the value of eating seasonally. Whether it was because a significant portion of our produce came from the local farmer’s market, or because my mom, always interested in gardening, sourced many ingredients for her wonderful cooking from our own backyard (the apricot and plum trees in summer, the meyer lemon tree in winter), I’ve developed an awareness of the most perfect time to enjoy my favorite foods. Apples, undoubtedly, belong right at the beginning of fall, in all of those back-to-school lunchboxes. Strawberries, of course, arrive just in time for my spring birthday, and summer wouldn’t be complete without plenty of corn on the cob.

While I love this anticipation that comes with the arrival of a new seasonal crop, the truth is that more and more produce is becoming available year round. The majority of my recipes, I think, will always be inspired by, and rooted in, the harvest of the season. But green beans, for me, seem to elude this tendency. Although my mom grows the most sweet and crunchy green beans on tall vines in her garden during the heart of summer, to me, in some way, this vegetable belongs in fall. Maybe it’s the traditional green bean casserole that always makes an appearance on Thanksgiving. Whatever it is, I always find myself craving green beans around this time of year.

Let me correct myself: I crave these particular roasted green beans! And I think you will too, if you give them a try. They’re perhaps the easiest recipe you could imagine – not really a recipe, more of a simple preparation. With a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt, the green beans soften and caramelize in a hot oven. A pop of tart flavor comes from a last-minute squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I’ll certainly be making this dish for seasons to come – summer or not – whenever I can get my hands on some green beans!