FREEZING BEANS

Beans are one of the easiest things to preserve.  I prefer them frozen over canned.  The flavor is much better and the process is so simple.  The only downfall is you need to have room in your freezer.

Start with some freshly picked beans.  I like to combine the green and yellow ones.

Fill a large kettle about 2/3 full of water.  I picked up this blancher a few years back and absolutely love using it.  Put on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

While your water is heating, snip the ends off of the beans.  You can cut them up or leave them whole.  I prefer the whole ones.

Once your water is boiling, add your beans.  You only want to add about 3-4 cups of beans at a time. This pot has a strainer part that fits right inside the main pot so I just fill it about half full.

Plunge the beans into the boiling water and set a timer for 5 minutes.  This is called blanching.  You must blanch your beans because this stops the enzymes and prevents them from turning to mush. 

After five minutes, pour the beans into very cold water.  I like to add some ice to speed up the cooling process.  You want the beans to be very cold.

Next strain the beans to remove as much water as possible.  Now you can either put them into freezer bags in the amount you need for a meal or freeze them individually on cookie sheets, just like we did with the berries in the post on freezing berries.  I like doing it this way because it allows me to just take out the amount of beans I need.  If its just the two of us I only need a handful but if the whole crew is here I can take out more. 

Once they are frozen, place in gallon freezer bags.

And here’s a cool trick I learned to remove all the air from the bag.  Close the bag leaving a small opening.  Insert a straw and suck the air out of the bag.  Quickly remove the straw and close the rest of the way.  Happy Freezing!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. –
James 1:17