2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[ducks4you]

Ducks I store my beans...in my memories! Or dried in a jar. I find frozen green beans need perfect blanching to not be rubberized when thawed and cooked. I have not mastered that art! I'm envious of those that can freeze them and have them remain edible!

I'm with you on the steaming veggies @ bluejay! Best method, though I do my fair share of roasted vegetables w/ olive oil - every kind of veggie - and enjoy them that way too.

Just got my steamer yesterday!!
What blanching mistakes are you making?!?

 

[ducks4you]

@Zeedman, good to know about blanching ASAP after harvesting. I have been collecting beans all week. DH wants to eat them tomorrow, and I think we will eat beans on Sunday, too. So...looks like I can start using my new steamer starting next week.
Plan is to freeze them in quarts.
We plan to steam the saved beans for these two dinners, too.

 

[Blue-Jay]

When I blanch my garden green beans. I plunge the cut up green beans in a metal insert with holes that is made to fit inside the boiling water pot. (each pod cut in 3's) for three minutes. Then I pull the insert out of the boiling water quickly allowing the water to drain back into the pot even giving the insert a shaking to remove some of the excess hot water. I then empty the insert with the green beans into ice water in my kitchen sink. Yes cold water with ice added. I stir the beans a bit at first then allow them to remain in that ice water for about 4 or 5 minutes. The bean pods when cold will actually drop to the bottom of the sink. I fish out the pods in double handfulls with my hands and shake off the cold water then place the green beans on a towl on my kitchen counter. When all of that batch of blanched beans is on my towel. I take another dry towel and dry all the pods. Patting them dry or with a gentle pressing. You can roll the blanched beans around to get at the still moist wet ones. Then add about 12 ounces of blanched beans to a quart ziploc baggie and freeze. I repeat the process until all the green beans that I have harvested up to that point are blanch and packed away into my freezer.

When I want green beans to eat. I remove a frozen bag of green beans from the freezer and steam cook them for about 15 minutes. That is the from the time the water in my steamer pot has come to a boil. Blanched garden beans steam cook faster than frozen green beans from a store and taste oh so much better.

 

[ducks4you]

SO good to know!! Although the last 2 days the bean harvest has been smaller, the later planted beans are taking off and I expect a really good harvest from 4 twelve foot rows late next month.
I never realized how easy beans are to grow until this year.
HOWEVER, I don't think I'll plant bush beans next to corn again. While I wait for the corn to produce I really have to hunt around the stalks to find bean pods from the bush beans spreading.

 

[ducks4you]

OK bean experts, What beans do your grow (to save the dried beans) to make chili?

 

[Jack Holloway]

OK bean experts, What beans do your grow (to save the dried beans) to make chili?

I thought real chili didn't have beans in it.

 

[Blue-Jay]

OK bean experts, What beans do your grow (to save the dried beans) to make chili?

You can probably use almost any kind of bean you want to make chili. A good bean mix would probably due also.

 

[ducks4you]

Thx, But those of you who Like chili with beans, do you make it with pinto beans, kidney beans, or something else? Do you grow/harvest your own beans for your chili?
Inquiring Duck minds would like to know.

 

[Blue-Jay]

I told @Artorius I would have photos of the Karachaganak bush in which he sent me seeds of and I planted this year. I also planted the semi runner Karachaganak.

These photos below are Karachaganak bush. They are healthier than my semi runner version but I still think they are very lacking. I don't know what could be the problem because not far away from where the bush version is growing. There are varieties growing in this same soil that are growing exuberantly and look like they are in the prime of their health.

This last and center of the photo growing less than 2/3 of a meter away from Karachaganak bush is Horsehead. Horsehead is growing very large for a bush. In the same soil planted on the same day. All the beans in this grow out have all gotten the same amount of water. The soil was prepared the same way. The last time I grew Horsehead it was 2014 and I have had not seen Horsehead grow this large the last time I grew it.

The next post will be Karachaganak Semi Runners

 

[Blue-Jay]

These photos are Karachaganak Semi Runner in my pole bean plot 12 miles away from where the bush version is growing. Some of the plants have died and the rest of them look like they are not far behind. These plants have not even started to climb the support pole.

Growing just one meter away from these Karachaganak Semi Runners is Kiagara Mame planted on the same day as the Karachaganak. The Kiagara Mame plants have just about made it to the top of it's pole and appears to be in the prime of it's health. Nice triangular shape like a Christmas tree. What can I say. The living and the dieing side by side.