Ready to freeze! Many garden vegetables are ready to harvest all at once—too many to eat. So when Steve picked a bucketful of green beans, I knew we had some work to do. After sharing some with neighbors, we sat down at the dining room table to prepare them for freezing. First, we covered the table with newspaper and placed a big bowl between us for the beans. I like to use a knife, but Steve likes to use his fingers to tear off the ends. Then snap, snap, snap, and pull off any strings. These beans were beautiful—hardly any rust or holes to trim.
Steve rinsed the beans in cold water. I filled my largest pot (8-quart) with water and placed it over high heat. A separate, large bowl of ice water would quickly cool the par-boiled beans. Once the water was boiling, we worked assembly line style.
I added 2 cups beans to the boiling water, cooking for 3 minutes. I removed them from the pot with a slotted spoon to the bowl of ice water. Steve worked at another counter with the food saver, a great device for freezing because it seals and vacuum packs from the plastic bag. (You can use freezer bags or containers.) Once the beans were par-boiled and cooled, Steve sealed them in pint-sized bags. By the time he was done sealing the first batch, I had boiled a second batch, and so on.
Once all the beans were processed, I labeled the bags with the contents and date and brought them downstairs to the deep freeze in our basement. Now we can eat fresh-frozen green beans from the garden this winter by simmering them for 5-10 minutes until tender. See green beans with bacon for a savory side dish.
I added 2 cups beans to the boiling water, cooking for 3 minutes. I removed them from the pot with a slotted spoon to the bowl of ice water. Steve worked at another counter with the food saver, a great device for freezing because it seals and vacuum packs from the plastic bag. (You can use freezer bags or containers.) Once the beans were par-boiled and cooled, Steve sealed them in pint-sized bags. By the time he was done sealing the first batch, I had boiled a second batch, and so on.
Once all the beans were processed, I labeled the bags with the contents and date and brought them downstairs to the deep freeze in our basement. Now we can eat fresh-frozen green beans from the garden this winter by simmering them for 5-10 minutes until tender. See green beans with bacon for a savory side dish.
Boil for three minutes.
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Each bag is vacuum packed.
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