My green beans are finally ready to pick!
I LOVE them fresh out of the garden, steamed, or even raw:).
Freezing them is a fast way to enjoy them through the winter.
Here is how I do it!
First, you want to buy or pick FRESH beans that are crisp, bright green, and free of blemishes.
Avoid beans that are limp or have shriveled ends.
Place them in a sink of cool water and wash thoroughly.
Then comes the fun...snapping!
Snap off the ends like so....{for those of you who are new to preserving:)}
Snip off the ends with your fingers.
You can leave them whole, if you prefer, but I like them smaller and snapped in half.
You could also use a paring knife, but fingers work just fine and are faster...in my opinion:).
Snapping beans is something that the whole family can do!
Once you have all of your bite sized pieces ready to go,
bring a large pot of water to a boil and add beans.
Carefully make sure that the beans are submerged and blanche small pieces for 3 minutes, large or whole beans for 4 minutes.
Pour beans into a colander and then cool by plunging into ice water.
Drain beans again and set out to dry on a clean dish cloth.
Pack into freezer bags, label, and lay flat in freezer.
Use within 8-10 months.
I love having beans in the freezer and use them in soups, stews, casseroles, and steamed with a little butter and salt!
Enjoy!
~Julia
10 comments:
Yup!! exactly as I do, except we leave the tails on (not the heady/stem part). My grammy used to say - "don't snap the tails off. That's where all the vitamins are." ;)
I actually half a basket (or more) waiting to do up on Monday... they're sitting in my fridge. Yikes. Not a lot of time left for to do this weekend.
Nor ice. I have to make some more.
My beans are just starting to set on. I had to plant them twice. I like my beans wrapped in bacon and cooked in the oven or on the grill.
Bevy...your Grandma is probably right! I think I will try leaving the tails on next time! Jody...that sounds absolutely delish! Bacon makes everything better!
~Julia
With all the drought this year, I think it's extra important to get as much as possible in the freezer. Prices are bound to go up this winter and those beans will come in might handy! ~ Maureen
I love having veggies in the freezer for the winter months! The heat stunted my green bean plants and I thought I wouldn't end up with any, but during the past couple weeks they have been producing like crazy! I will probably try to get some frozen early this week.
Nice tutorial. There is something very calming about snapping beans isn't there?
Julia... your garden looks beautiful! Oh, how I love holly hocks! Sorry to read about the fires in your area, but glad you and your family are well.
I love freezing beans! Unfortunately, the woodchuck living behind our woodshed ate through a lot of our garden this year. Any suggestions for next year? Fence the garden in? Get a dog?
We have plenty of beans and in fact I picked a basket full of beans this morning. Thanks for the bean freezing procedure.
Lovely gardens! and blog.
www.downtoearthdigs.wordpress.com
Stacey
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