My Garden Picture

[vfem]

Wow... I have been put to shame!!!

 

[lesa]

Would you ask your Mom, pretty please with sugar on top-if she will share her freezing beans tips?? Mine were so terrible I fed them to the dogs....

 

[retiredwith4acres]

lesa, I will ask her! I really don't think she does anything much different but will find out. I know what you mean by feeding them to dogs. Mine are not very good either.

 

[retiredwith4acres]

Lesa, just talked to Mom. She said she just blanches (brings to a boil), drains and then covers with ice and cools COMPLETELY, drains real good, bags, and freezes. In the South we cook our beans really good so that may be the thing. She puts the package still frozen into a pressure cooker with very small amount of water, talking spoonfuls, and cooks for about 30 minutes with seasonings (salt and oil, used to be lard when I was growing up) in them. When opened she cooks until any remaining water is cooked off. So her method might not be good if not cooked southern style. lol She has always had to work in a factory, then home to farming and not too much time for lots of canning other than tomatoes, pickles, beets, jellies of all kinds, etc. so when she found freezing was as good and lots less time she did it for the beans and corn.

 

[Collector]

Great garden, looks like you have plenty of room

 

[lesa]

Thanks so much for getting her secret recipe! I am sure I go wrong in the cooling off department. After blanching I never seem to have enough ice- and end up going with "oh well, that's good enough". I will remember her tip and really make sure I get them cold. Thanks!

 

[Southern Gardener]

Lesa, just talked to Mom. She said she just blanches (brings to a boil), drains and then covers with ice and cools COMPLETELY, drains real good, bags, and freezes. In the South we cook our beans really good so that may be the thing. She puts the package still frozen into a pressure cooker with very small amount of water, talking spoonfuls, and cooks for about 30 minutes with seasonings (salt and oil, used to be lard when I was growing up) in them. When opened she cooks until any remaining water is cooked off. So her method might not be good if not cooked southern style. lol She has always had to work in a factory, then home to farming and not too much time for lots of canning other than tomatoes, pickles, beets, jellies of all kinds, etc. so when she found freezing was as good and lots less time she did it for the beans and corn.

This is exactly how my grandmother used to cook her beans - using lard. Let me say, they were the very best beans I've ever tasted. My mom doesn't even cook hers that way anymore.