How to Blanche Green Beans

Our last post taught you how to can green beans, but not everyone has the time or necessary equipment to can vegetables. Today we wanted to show you another great way to store vegetables that can be done with little equipment and in a relatively short amount of time. Freezing vegetables allows you to eat vegetables well into winter without having to buy any from the store. For most vegetables, however, you will need to blanche them before freezing.

Blanching will stop enzymes which can cause loss of flavor and texture. It also helps clean vegetables of organisms and dirt that might be leftover after rinsing.

What You Will Need

Large Pot
Large Bowl
Ice
Tongs
Colander
Tupperware or Ziploc Bags


Prep Work

1. Rinse beans in cold water
2. Cut/Snap off imperfections (Bug holes, strings, etc.)
3. Cut/Snap to desired length
4. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
5. Fill large bowl with cold water. Add ice to create ice bath.

Blanching

1. Place clean beans in water.
2. Allow to boil/blanche for ~2-3 minutes. Beans should turn a vivid green.
3. Remove and immediately place in ice bath. Allow to thoroughly cool to stop cooking process.
4. Move beans from ice bath into colander to drain.
5. Place in storage container of your choice.
6. Repeat for all beans. Allow boiling water to return to rolling boil for 1 minutes in between each batch of beans.
7. Freeze as soon as done blanching

Beans will keep for up to 6 months, but may develop freezer burn the longer they are stored. Be sure you freezer is in working order and throw out any produce that appears to have been thawed and refrozen. Other vegetables can be blanched too. Times will vary by vegetable.

If you are interested in canning, see our post on Pressure Canning Green Beans.