Yeah..... just call me an adventurer
The thing about fresh herbs though, and this kind of relates to this thread, is that sometimes I like to add a little Italian seasoning to my sauteing green beans. How do you do that with fresh? Grab some oregano, parsley, thyme, whatever else they put in those plastic shakers, chop it up super-fine and toss it in? That's a lot of work for just adding a little seasoning and still wanting the beans to stand out and not a bunch of leafy/chunky looking fresh spices. I can see the benefit of fresh in some dishes, but dry is so much handier and lasts forever. You don't need as much either.
I'm a fan of both fresh and dry. But dry herbs do not last forever. They lose their taste over time. 6 months is a guideline. Plus if you buy them from the supermarket you have no idea how long they have been sitting on the shelf. That's why so many people buy their dry herbs and spices from Penzey's and other reputable spice purveyors. There is a HUGE difference in quality for not much more, if any, in price.
Regarding fresh herbs, have you ever considered growing them? Basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary etc. can be grown is pots or in a small garden and it's easy as can be. Then you just snip off what you need when you need it.
Regarding green beans, many (maybe most) people prefer their beans to have a bright green color, not an olive drab color. That's why they blanch and shock them.
To get them to turn olive drab color, cook them with an acidic ingredient. Add some lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water.
To get them to soften, cook them for a long time, using whatever method you choose. Salt also helps.
Here are the 2 ways I usually cook beans:
1. Blanch and shock them and set aside. Fry up some bacon, which bacon is cooking, slice a medium onion up thinly. Remove bacon from pan and set aside, dump most of the bacon fat but not all. Cook onion in bacon fat till soft. Crumble up the cooked bacon and add to pan. Add beans and 1/4 cup water. Stir. Cover and cook until beans are done to your taste.
2. Mix together 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup of black soy sauce (or 1T brown sugar), 2 very finely minced garlic cloves, a thumbnail sized knob of ginger, finely minced, a bunch of scallions, chopped and 1T sesame oil. Get out your wok and get it screaming hot. Add some peanut oil and stir fry your beans in small batches. Cook them until they sear and wrinkle up, but not all the way. Drain them on paper towels as you go. When they are all seared, dump the sauce into the wok and bring it to a boil, then add back all the beans, stir, and cook until done to your taste. These beans can be served hot, room temp or cold.
I am growing green beans in my garden this year for the first time. Cross your fingers.