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Freezing Green BeansFreezing green beans is easy. I love how convenient it is to preserve this yummy vegetable!
Although canned green beans are probably my favorite (always have been since I was little), frozen green beans are equally delicious, plus they're quite easy to preserve.
You can freeze as many bags as you like.....it's a simple process that requires minimal effort. How long will frozen green beans keep in the freezer?Anywhere from 6 - 9 months. Anywhere after this amount of time is when freezer burn starts to set it. But foods that have developed freezer burn will not make you sick; it just affects the quality and freshness of the food. How do I cook my frozen green beans?The same way you would cook store-bought frozen green beans. Simply place them in a saucepan, pour a few teaspoons of water over the top, and steam them until heated through.
Start Freezing Green BeansLet's get started freezing green beans! 1.You will need to buy or pick some fresh green beans to get started. However much you need to buy totally depends on how much you intend to freeze. Choose fresh, crisp green beans and make sure they are not bruised or rotting. 2. Snip off the ends of your beans. This can take a while, but it's important to get rid of those crusty ends. Also be sure to cut off any bad spots at this point. Cut green beans to the length you prefer. I like to cut mine right in half, making a 2 inch green bean.
3. Place your chopped green beans in a colander and wash well. Since fresh green beans (even from the store) are going to be dirty, make sure all the dirt / leaf particles get rinsed off and removed. Since we pick our green beans straight from our garden, our's are always extremely dirty! 4. Blanch green beans for 3 minutes, then immediately plunge beans in ice water.
5. Before freezing green beans, you need to dry them since they are quite wet by now. You can pat them dry with towels and then air dry for an hour, or you could use a salad spinner. The salad spinner works very well for this purpose, since it removes the moisture quickly. 6. Now that your green beans are dry, place them in ziploc bags. I personally prefer to use the quart size - but of course use whatever works for you! Think ahead; what quantities of green beans would you normally cook for a meal? How many people are you cooking for? Divide your green beans into portions that will work for your family.
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How to Blanch
What exactly is the big deal with blanching? Why do you have to blanch green beans before freezing them? Why not just stick them in the freezer?
Blanching helps keep your green beans (or any kind of vegetable) fresher. It actually destroys the enzymes and bacteria that would change the color and flavor of your food while it's in the freezer. Blanching basically preserves the quality of your food.
Here's how to do it:
1. Take a soup pot and fill it with enough water to cover your green beans (but don't put your beans in yet!). Bring it to a rolling boil.
2. While it's still boiling, carefully dump your green beans in the water. It may stop boiling momentarily, but it will start back up soon!
3. Boil the green beans for exactly 3 minutes, no longer. Overcooking the green beans will make them mushy.
4. Once 3 minutes is up, immediatly remove the green beans from the water with a slotted spoon and place in ice water (literally - you want ice cubes floating in with your green beans!).
5. Pat dry and freeze.