Runner Beans

[rosebud]

 I have frozen such a lot of runner beans. When i came to use them they cooked what seemed like fresh BUT they were to soft if you know what i mean as if they had been overcooked which they had not.
Can anyone help please.  I have at least another  8/9lbs ready to pick by the weekend.  Thank you  Rosebud.

[BarriedaleNick]

I take it you just blanched them?

[Digeroo]

I am always disappointed by frozen R Beans so I also am interested in answers to this post..

[rosebud]

 Yes i blanched them straight into cols water dried them with kitchen roll then spread them out to freeze overnight then bag up the next day.
I cannot waste all my beans to nice .

[GRACELAND]

Now My Wife

She   Trims and Slices Then bags um in to family size portions and Freeze

 Always ok   Slices as in strips not chunks   

[Digeroo]

Can you please confirm whether you blanche before the freeze Graceland

[GRACELAND]

Can you please confirm whether you blanche before the freeze Graceland

No  just cut slice Freeze   thats it

sliced like this

[Trevor_D]

We've tried them all ways.

And although beans are among our favourite veggies we gave up freezing them 30 years ago. If you've got too many, make chutney or give them away. (No-one in this island is more than a three-minute walk from a little old lady or gent who loves runner beans but can no longer grow them! That's what allotments are for - to spread a little joy in the community.)

Peas, on the other hand, work brilliantly! (We don't give peas away....)

[qahtan]

 we just luv runners, grow them every year, have runners every day when they are in season, but do'd like them frozen,,,
 sad story, this year plant grew quite well yippee we had one bean last week and one been so far this week,,,,,,,,
 qahtan

[euronerd]

Freezing destroys the cell structure, which is what gives the crunch, so it's something we're stuck with. The best way of cooking them (a tip which came from somebody on here a year or two ago) seems to be to hard boil them straight from the freezer for just long enough to warm them through. Not perfect but the best we can hope for. I don't blanch either. As a last resort, rather than wasting them, have you thought about leaving the beans on the plant for as long as possible, then just using the seeds? They can be dried which saves a bit of freezer space.

Geoff.

[jennym]

I don't get soggy runner beans from the freezer, nor the french beans and I freeze loads every year.
First the beans are washed thoroughly.
Then cut them into chunks of maybe 1/2 long, not sliced, just cut into chunks, because that's how they eat them here. 
For blanching, I have a very large pan of already boiling water, put a small amount (say, one pound) of the beans in a small wire basket, lower them into the boiling water for 2 minutes, take them straight out and plunge into cold water, drain and freeze them straight away.
There's a fast freeze button on my freezer, I always use this. I think this is the answer really, freezing fast in small quantities.

[rosebud]

 Thank you all for your advice.     Right,

 I do give them away  Trevor, 2 lots of neighbours, but i have so many, little old ladies only eat small .
Jennym, i do much as you do except i slice them same gadget as Graceland.
I think i shall just carry on & hope for the best result.
I have put a lot of seeds aside ready to offer when they are dried. they do as it says on the packet they are looooong & prolific & i mean prolific .

[GRACELAND]

Good Luck

[valmarg]

The best preserved runner beans I have ever tasted have been salted.  My dad did them years ago, and we had them for Christmas dinner (instead of sprouts .)  They had retained their crunch.  In fact they were the nearest I have ever had to freshly picked.

The following is a recipe from an old Good Housekeeping booklet dated 1950.  I did have a go one year, but I used table salt, and it just didn't work, the beans went mouldy.  I think I might give it another go this year.  Nothing ventured .

SALTING BEANS

Surplus French and runner beans may be preserved for winter use by packing them in salt.  The container should be a jar made of glass.  Ordinary cooking salt should be used, not table salt (as it contains an anti-caking agent).  Allow 1lb salt to every 3lb of beans.

Choose small young beans.  French beans may be either left whole or broken in half, and runner beans may be sliced.  Put a layer of salt in the container, then a layer of beans, and continue with the alternate layers until the jar is full, pressing each layer of beans well down, and finishing with a layer of salt.  It is important to use plenty of salt, otherwise the beans will not keep well.  Cover the jar and leave it for a few days, after which the beans will have shrunk, leaving room for more beans and salt; once again, be sure to finish with a layer of salt.  Cover the jar and store it in a cool, dry place.

To cook salted beans, remove as many beans as will be required and wash them thoroughly in cold water.  If desired, they may be soaked for 1-2 hours in warm water, to extract more of the salt.  Place the beans in boiling unsalted water and cook until tender.


I'm sorry its a bit long.

valmarg

[steve76]

I do as Graceland no blanching just trim,bag and freeze.... Also got my self one of those trimmer things last year so much faster to use..

[Jeannine]

Some varieties of beans freeze better than others, a b ig difference to so it may pay you to look for one that freezes well. Blanching kills the   growing and maturing enyme   so unblanced in the freezer they will not keep as long as blanched ones and they will soften more as they are still breaking down even when frozen.

XX Jeannine

[earlypea]

The best preserved runner beans I have ever tasted have been salted.  My dad did them years ago, and we had them for Christmas dinner (instead of sprouts .)  They had retained their crunch.  In fact they were the nearest I have ever had to freshly picked.

Thanks for posting the recipe Valmarg - I'm going to try it.  Really don't like them frozen at all.

Did you need to soak them to get rid of the salt or did your Dad's one do alright neat from the jar?  Only, I don't use much salt generally so I think I'm a bit sensitive to it - can't tolerate levels used in some restaurants, for example.

(I've also found a good outlet at work - it's freelance so hoping the beans swing it and they bung more my way  - seems to be working...)

[valmarg]

No earlypea they should not be eaten straight from the jar.  If you look at the last paragraph of my post, they should be thoroughly washed in cold water.  They can also be soaked for 1-2 hours in warm water, to extract more of the salt.

If you are salt intolerant, I suggest you use the soaking method before cooking.

Good luck.

valmarg

[bluecar]

Hello Valmarg.

Thanks for the tip. I've just filled a preserving jar as described and I'm looking forward to trying the beans ilater in the year. A few questions.

Would you cook them (after washing) straight into boiling water?

Approximately how long do they last preserved?

If you open the jar will this cut down on storage life of the preserved beans?

Regards

Bluecar

[grawrc]

I made river cottage runner bean pickle for the first time ever today to help use up my glut. I just adore runner beans but there's only so many you can eat fresh.