So, I have been getting a lot of green beans since it has cooled off here for what passes as fall. We have had a bit of rain but most days it is still in the high 70's low 80's. It is much easier on the plants now and we have all our fall crops growing like mad!
So with the piles of green beans comes needing to store them so they can be eaten all winter. I know a lot of folks can them but I really prefer freezing them. I think they taste fresher. I may have to can them some day after the zombie apocalypse but for now while we still have power I will freeze them =) It's easy to do and fairly quick as well.
So get those beans in and give them a wash. Even though I grow my own with no pesticides, I wash them, you never know what little critters have been on them.
Trim the ends off where you picked them from the plant. I was trimming both but have decided to leave the free end on, save wasting beans.
Get a pot of water boiling like crazy!
And drop them in the pot. They need to boil for 3 minutes so start counting from the time they start that boil again, which with my gas stove only takes it a short time. Be sure and use the cut ends in your compost pile. No waste is the goal.!
3 minutes of boil time!
Take them out strain them and immediately dump them in a big bowl of ice cold water. Then leave them for 3 minutes again or until they are cold. This stops them cooking right away, so you don't have cooked mush when you get them out. I then line a cookie sheet with a bag and layer the beans in one layer on it.
Pop them in the freezer to freeze. I like doing it this way as it prevent them sticking in huge clumps and they break apart easily when you are getting them out to cook.
Mark your freezer bag, because no matter how brilliant your are you are not going to remember the exact date you did these =) I am lucky if I remember the century! Pop them in your deep freeze and enjoy. They taste so good and if you have extra's eat them fresh from the garden for lunch or dinner. They are really great that way!
Happy gardening!
