Washing Green Beans

[freedhardwoods]

When we started canning large amounts of beans, we looked for any time-savers we could find. Washing the beans was fairly time consuming, so my wife decided to try our older top load washing machine. She washes them right after picking, before we stem and break them. Many of the beans are ready to break right out of the machine. It saves a lot of time and labor.

 

[Smart Red]

Yankee ingenuity at its best?

 

[AMKuska]

How many green beans fit in there?

 

[digitS']

I know a guy who sold at the farmers' market who did about the same thing. Leafy greens but he said he washed them in an old clothes washer.

Surprised? Well, he said he took the agitator out of it so it was like a salad spinner.



Steve

 

[baymule]

That's funny.

 

[journey11]

Now that I will have to try! Gentle cycle or permanent press?

 

[freedhardwoods]

Yankee ingenuity at its best?

If it works, who cares what it looks like.

How many green beans fit in there?

I pick using 5 1/2 gallon buckets. She puts 1 1/2 buckets per wash.

Now that I will have to try! Gentle cycle or permanent press?

She sets it on Gentle cycle.

One other advantage to washing them right out of the garden; It cools them quickly and helps them stay fresh.

 

[digitS']

Truck farms call that "hydro-cooled" .

When I began gardening in a more serious way, I put a stationary tub in a corner of the deck. We never use it for the purpose intended.

It stores baskets and a basin. They are carried out on the lawn, and along with a plastic milk crate or 2, become our "processing kitchen." The watering wand on the end of the hose is the water source.

The tub was a good idea but most of the veggies go in a refrigerator in the carport not the house. I think it is @thistlebloom who has that tub and counter space outdoors that I had envisioned. The rinse water goes on the lawn, I believe.

Emptying the basin is one of the drawbacks for my full-lawn system. I'm sure not trying to carry it anywhere these days. We try to vary the location of the "kitchen" so that too much water doesn't go under a table that holds potted plants. The only things that benefit from it under there is the periwinkle and tree roots.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it works, it works. Sounds good to me. Washing things before processing can take a lot of time.

I usually pick beans for canning in a 4-gallon bucket, often two 4-gallon buckets worth, and just rinse them from one bucket to another. I try to be careful when I'm picking them to not put that bucket where debris falls in but you can still get a lot of trash, especially blossom ends and bits of broken dead leaves. I'll often go through 4 or 5 rinses to get them clean enough. Where I wash them is right next to my orchard so the waste water is thrown under trees to water them whether they need it or not. Usually they can use it the time of year green beans are ready.

One trick I've learned with my bucket system if things are really dirty is to use three buckets. The first one has the beans. Fill it and the other two with water. Rinse beans in the first bucket and then rinse them in the second by the handful. Then put them in the third bucket of water. When the water in the second bucket gets dirty enough that the debris is carrying on over into the third bucket, change the water. This takes more water but cuts back a lot on how many times they need to be rinsed. I don't usually do this with beans but more often with herbs like oregano that I'm getting ready for the dehydrator.

I can see your washing machine making this a lot less labor intensive for beans, especially bending over the buckets. Not sure how well it would work with herbs but maybe?

 

[Just-Moxie]

Wow. That is one FANCY bean washer

Oh...and divert the rinse water right back to the garden