I bought a pound of green and yellow beans from the Farmer’s Market, but I don’t have time to use them at the moment. This lead to an Internet search on freezing vegetables. From the website PickYourOwn.Org (http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm), here is a quick and easy way to freeze fresh green beans in 10 Steps:
Step One: Wash green beans in lukewarm water, discarding spoiled/damaged beans
Step Two: Trim ends and cut into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife
Step Three: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over HIGH heat
Step Four: Boil (blanch) beans for 3 minutes on HIGH heat, covered
Step Five: Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water
Step Six: Drain beans and plunge into ice water bath
Step Seven: After 3 minutes in ice water bath, drain beans thoroughly
Step Eight: Place drained beans in a freezer zip-lock bag
Step Nine: Remove as much air as possible and securely close bag
Step Ten: Label bag with date and place in coldest part of freezer
When ready to use beans, thaw or heat as needed. Frozen beans will keep up to 6 months or longer if stored properly. After that, the beans won’t make you sick, but might not taste so great.
Steps One & Two:
Step Six:
Steps Eight, Nine & Ten:
Done!
