For Long-Term Storage
There are many ways to save green beans, but as long as you have the freezer space, freezing is probably the easiest way. Plus you have the convenience of just grabbing a few beans at a time if that is all you need when using them for soups, stews, stir fry, etc.
Whether you grow green beans in your garden, pick them up at a local farmer's market, or even just find a great special on fresh green beans at your local market, you're going to need to find ways to save green beans and freezing is one of the best ways to preserve green beans for future use.
Freezing green beans does more than just keep them for later use though. When done right, freezing is one of the best ways to save green beans because it will bring a level of convenience to your kitchen that is hard to beat.
To properly freeze green beans you need to blanch them before freezing. This helps to ensure that they retain nutrients, color, texture, and flavor throughout their life in your freezer.
To create convenience you're going to want to freeze them in a two-step process. Start by flash-freezing them in a single layer after blanching, then move the frozen beans to a large bag.
Taking this step allows you to freeze large bags of beans that are not all stuck together. Then you can simply take out a few handfuls at a time or the amount you need for dinner, rather than having to deal with a large clump of frozen beans.
It is best to work in small batches so start with about a pound of beans.
Place a gallon or so of water on the stove to boil and another gallon of ice water in a large bowl. "One side of a clean sink works well for this also."
Wash the green beans and break the stem ends of the beans. Green beans sometimes have a tough stringy thing that runs down the side. When you snap off the stem ends also bull any string from the bean. See the video for more info.
You can leave the beans full length if you wish but if the beans ate long enough you may wish to break them up into inch-long pieces. "It's just personal preference here"
Another great way to save green beans is by creating french style green beans.
One of the ways to save green beans is by blanching them with a steamer or you can boil them. Personally, I find blanching by boiling to be one of the easiest ways to save green beans. Simply drop the beans into a pot of rapidly boiling water, then return to a light boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
Pro Tip: "Work in small batches, no more than a pound of beans to a gallon of boiling water."Your water should return to a light boil within about a minute, if not you are overcrowding the pot, and should try fewer beans on the next batch.
The goal here is not to cook them all the way through but lightly. This will stop the enzyme process which otherwise causes a loss of color, flavor, and texture.
Lift the beans out of the boiling water and drain the excess water. Immediately place them into your ice water and allow them to sit in the ice water for a good three or four minutes to stop any internal heat from continuing to cook the beans. Then lift them out into a strainer and let them drain in a strainer for a couple of minutes to remove excess water.
Spread the blanched, cooled, and drained green beans out on a sheet pan in a single layer. It doesn't need to be perfect but the less crowded the beans are the better your results will be. Place the sheet pans of beans into the freezer, undisturbed for at least an hour or two.
Remove the pans from the freezer and place the beans into large freezer storage containers or large freezer bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible, seal, and label the packages with the month and year.
One great reason freezing is one of the best ways to save green beans is because frozen green beans will keep for a year no problem. Yes, they are still okay to eat after that but at that but at that point, their quality will begin to decline slowly.
There are many ways to save green beans, but as long as you have the freezer space, freezing is probably the easiest way. If you are short on freezer space, you may be better off looking at how to pressure-can your green beans.
Fill a large pot with about a gallon of water and begin bringing it to a boil. If you haven't already done so rinse your green beans in cold water. Add a gallon of cold water to a large bowl or a clean side of the sink. Have about a quart of ice handy.
Once your pot of water has come to a rapid boil, add about a pound of green beans to the water. Cover and return to a light boil. Cook the beans for 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the ice to the gallon of cold water. Remove the beans from the boiling water using a slotted spoon or strainer. Immediately drop the hot beans into the bowl of ice water and leave them there for a good 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
Remove the beans from the ice water and drain off the excess water.
Lay green beans out in a single layer on a couple of sheet pans and place the pans into the freezer for an hour or two.
Label a freezer-safe container or a 1-gallon freezer bag with the date.
Place all the flash-frozen green beans into the labeled container or freezer bag and place them into the freezer for long-term storage.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.