Want to enjoy locally grown beans all year long? Try freezing fresh green beans! We’ll look at what you should pay attention to and how you can freeze produce without using plastic.
Freezing Green Beans: Pre-Blanching
If your garden has been doing well and you have harvested more beans than you can eat, lucky you! You may decide to give your extra beans away to friends and family, but you should also consider freezing the fresh green beans. If you blanch them first, you can use them immediately after defrosting at a later date.
Here’s how to freeze green beans:
- Wash and clean the beans.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the beans to the boiling water and blanch until they are bright green – about two minutes.
- Drain the beans and immediately shock them in a cold water bath.
- Allow to dry completely.
- Put the beans in an airtight and resealable container of your choice and pop them into the freezer.
See how quick and easy freezing green beans is? Though they have better flavor when they’re fresh, they will only last about 4 days when stored in the fridge. Once frozen, they can last nearly a year.
Freezing Fresh Green Beans Without Plastic
By freezing (excess) food, you can help fight food waste while also ensuring that you’ll always have fruit and vegetables on hand when you need them. Plus, using frozen produce from your garden means buying less imported and out-of-season produce from the supermarket, which comes with benefits for both your health and the environment.
However, this positive environmental impact can be quickly destroyed if plastic freezer bags are used. Freezing foods without plastic isn’t difficult – people have been freezing food since long before plastic bags were invented. Try out different methods and decide which works best for you. You can try using:
- glass jars
- stainless steel containers
- cotton pouches
- waxed paper
If you’re freezing fresh green beans and want to go plastic-free, it is best to fill glass jars or stainless steel containers up to the edge with the pre-blanched beans and then freeze them. Just make sure that the beans are dry and that you don’t seal the lid tightly until after a day or so – this will save the glass from cracking.
This article has been translated from German to English by Karen Stankiewicz. You can find the original here: Bohnen einfrieren: Das solltest du beachten
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