Allotments 4 All

I have tried both blanching (in a pressure cooker) and non blanching methods when freezing runner beans and the results wre always awful. You cant beat the anticipation and mouth watering enjoyment of the first beans from the garden, mmmmm could just eat some now!!! Any surplus that I cant give away go in the composter instead of freezer.Has anyone tried making wine from runner beans? ??? ???

Never the same as fresh.

Lots of chat here which, with wine making, should probably be in 'Recipes' or 'Drink'??

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,8953.0.html

PS Blanching in a p/cooker?? There are easier ways of killing a bean.
It would be blanched long before the machine came up to even 5lb pressure!!

X, I made Runner bean and Elderberry last year, was quite nice! :D

Look at the recipie board for Runner Bean Chutney. Yummy!

Jerry

And don't forget the good old English staple....Piccalilli :P

I freeze runner beans and they are fine for stews and casseroles and soups, I also dry them and use them instead of kidney beans...I still have a large jar of dried runner beans which I am using now

sorry, I forgot to say it's only the bean itself that I dry not the green casing and you have to soak them overnight just like other dried beans

You haven't mentioned your blanching method.  Don't know if this will help.

Loads of water, bring to rolling boil, no more than two minutes blanching and do not keep frozen for more than two months.

Also, cut more coarsely than you would for eating fresh!

Think I mentioned somewhere else, dried beans cooked in large quantities freeze really well in portion sized bags.

I tried the method recommended by a local gardening expert on BBC Solent http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/radiosolent/topsoilrunnerbean.shtml

It doesn't require blanching and produces results which are just as good - and a lot less effort

I have found over the years that the beans need to be really young[/b] to freeze well by any method

Phil