another way to freeze green beans? Update--see post #7

[Hencackle]

Just wondered if anybody has used a shortcut in freezing green beans as a woman I know did. She washes the fresh beans, pats them dry with a towel (she said this is a must!), breaks them, the freezes the beans in a vacuum-sealed bag. She totally skips the blanching step that most have us have been doing for years--the one that inactivates the enzymes present in raw vegetables.

She says that she couldn't tell any difference between the taste or texture between the blanched or unblanched beans once she cooked them.

I love the idea of not dealing the with mess of blanching and saving a little time...plus, minimally processed food appeals to me because I like to juice some of my veggies or eat them as raw, or nearly raw whenever I can. (dh wants most of his veggies cooked)

What are your thoughts on skipping the blanching step?

 

[lesa]

I was under the impression that there was a real spoilage issue without blanching... I tried to do it with corn on the cob and it tasted off... Not sure- I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[Hencackle]

My dh's grandparents used to freeze corn whole, still wrapped in the inner husks. All they did was remove the outer husks, that's it. Evidently, the husks help keep it "fresh".

We've tried it and it works pretty good, except it takes up more freezer space than we can waste, so that's why we freeze some our corn using the traditional blanch & cut kernels method.

 

[dipence71]

I do almost all of my freezer veggies the easy way: clean and vac. pack freeze forget till time to use lol. Just make sure they are fresh and haven't been sitting around for a week first.
I do not have the time( or don't want to take the time lol) and energy to go through all the blanching.
I have not had any problems with my veggies. Broccoli, sweet corn on and off husk, green beans, ect.
Good luck.

 

[HiDelight]

the few times I blanched I over cooked the vegetables so I do not blanch and do as above and they turn out fine

however I do not freeze a whole lot of vegetables so I am not an expert ..I do this with greens for sure just chop them up and toss them in a bag suck the air out and freeze

there should be no problem with spoilage if you toss them right into a dish you are cooking

I am just not a fan of frozen or canned vegetables less a few like greens

 

[Hencackle]

Thanks for the replies! :bouquet

I think I will skip the blanching, why make more work for myself?

I think I will experiment a bit by leaving some beans whole which will be sliced right right after thawing--I have this awesome ceramic paring knife that will cut through veggies as easily as slicing through warm butter.

 

[Hencackle]

Ugh, the beans did NOT turn out well at all. Only if the beans are cooked long & slow in soups or stews with tomatoes , are the beans edible. Slow cooking these beans with a ham hock isn't enough.

Either my taste buds are way too picky or the woman that told me about her method left out a step or 2 or her taste buds aren't as discerning.

Just thought I would post this update. If I caused somebody to ruin their green beans, I'm sorry.

 

[patandchickens]

I suspect it probably depends a lot on the particular variety of green bean, and the stage of maturity at which you are picking them. I have noticed a HUGE amount of variation in freezing success with different types/ages.

I blanch my green beans to freeze b/c they do seem to keep better that way for me, but it is really no extra work for me b/c I do it in combination with making 'em for dinner. Boil a pot o' water, drop the beans in in a colander, remove after a couple minutes and dump almost all of 'em into cold water, then chuck the remainder (a meal-sized portion) back into the pot to finish cooking for dinner. This would not work if you are freezing like 20 lbs at a time but I don't do that myself so this works well for me.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lesa]

Hen, I tried both ways and I wasn't pleased with either...But, I think Pat is right. By the time I started freezing beans it was just too late in the season. You couldn't even chew them!!! I did love my dilly beans, you might want to try them...This year I am going to freeze beans first thing and see if the situation improves. They are so easy to grow in abundance- it would be nice to be able to keep them...

 

[Lavender2]

Green beans are excellent out of the freezer IF they are harvested when smaller and tender (the correct size for whatever type you are growing).
I blanch them the day they are picked or store them in the fridge for no more than 2 days before blanching.
Freezer to steamer and they are almost as good as fresh ...

Blanching is really necessary ... for some vegetables ...

Blanching vegetables

It is a bit of work, but really worth it ...