About those beans ....

[Ontario Chick]

I am starting to get a deep dislike for beens...apparently they have decided to take over the garden, and although I find the foliage attractive and a green bean salad takes about a nanosecond to make, there is only so much of it you can eat.
There seems to be a small basket every couple of days and today it was a large basket and I can see another one looming.

Since I don't like frozen veggies of any kind (accept French fries) I have resisted the thought of freezing them, and it's possible I will break my rule since I can't stand the thought of waisting food.

Quick question to Dr G, and I found freezing beans without blanching, anybody tried that?

[Killerbunny]

Works great, just make sure you only use small new beans.
Recipe - lightly steamed and sauteed with garlic and butter!

[Jaye]

You can also ferment them. Dilly beans are really tasty, IMO. Wish I had your "excess of beans" problem. I only had three bushes and they obviously didn't like their location, so only one jar of dilly beans so far. Someone told me recently that there might still be time for a second planting, but I think it's already too late for that here.

[Ontario Chick]

Thanks @Killerbunny I will give it a go, maybe I will appreciate them more in the winter

[Ontario Chick]

You can also ferment them. Dilly beans are really tasty, IMO. Wish I had your "excess of beans" problem. I only had three bushes and they obviously didn't like their location, so only one jar of dilly beans so far. Someone told me recently that there might still be time for a second planting, but I think it's already too late for that here.

I must say at first I was impressed with the growth and the fact it looks like there is stuff happening in my garden, but I wasn't prepared for this kind of enthusiasm. They are in the bed which received the "fruit" of my digester last year, so double dose of nitrogen I guess.
Fermenting isn't anything I am planning to try, unless the result is some form of alcohol
keeping in mind that there is a 10 week old puppy attached to my pant leg the most ambitious thing I am planning to do is wash, cut and throw in the baggy and then freezer.

[Killerbunny]

We were staying in a Spanish fishing village a (long) while ago and when I tried to buy some lovely beans to cook I had to explain to the woman selling them how I was going to cook them because I was English! Brits have a well deserved reputation for grey, mushy vegetables.

[Happy]

I too dislike frozen vegetables. But I find beans edIble ONLY if I don't blanche first. It seems to eliminate that squeaky, rubbery texture.

[labradors]

Ontario Chick, I hate wasting food too, but every time I try to preserve beans they end up in the composter. I have tried blanching, pouring freezing water on them, drying and bagging. Disgusting! I have tried just freezing them in baggies, also disgusting! I'm tempted to save myself the trouble and compost them directly. I'm certainly not going to waste my time attempting to can them, as I hate the taste of canned green beans.

There is another option though, which is to let them dry on the plants. Pick them, remove from the pods, and then plan on cooking with them (after an overnight soak). If I remember, I use maybe a handful or two in a soup over the winter. I also end up with TONS of beans for growing the following year, and if I want to bake some pastry blind, I will be all set :).

The secret is not to grow too many of the darned things in the first place. I usually plant 6 runners and 6 poles, which is more than enough for two people (one of whom complains if he gets fed them too frequently). Half a row of bush beans (no more than 10 plants) is great, and I might put in a repeat planting of bush beans in the fall - beans are good for the garden after all!

Linda

[WLLady]

heres an outside the box idea...bean flour...dry them on the bushes and the grind to flour?
i must admit i just wash and bag and freeze....i grow a 50ft row every year.

[labradors]

WLLady and Happy. Do you use up your frozen beans within x amount of months? I have to wonder if I kept them for too long.......

Linda