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Freezing green beans is a great way to extend your harvest over the winter! This article discussed how to freeze any type of bean (green, yellow, purple) of the “string” variety.

In our garden, green beans are often one of the first veggies to produce a plentiful harvest that has us thinking about stocking up for winter.  When planting bush beans and pole beans, we know that they freeze beautifully and can easily supply us with vegetables for dinner on a weekly basis until the next year’s harvest.

How to Harvest Green Beans for Freezing

If planted simultaneously, bush beans will be produced first (and in a concentrated span of about two weeks), and pole beans will be produced later (and over a longer period of time as they continue to expand). Here’s a guide on how to harvest green beans correctly.

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Preserving Freeze Beans

​There are many ways to preserve your garden harvest to feed your family over the winter. Canning and dehydrating are excellent options, but low-acid vegetables will require a pressure canner instead of a simple water bath canning system, and some vegetables taste better when thoughtfully frozen.  Green beans fit that category. 

By the end of the season, these prolific providers take up the most real estate in our freezer. It is impressive how fresh frozen green beans can taste when lightly steamed and tossed with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper.

Supplies for Freezing Green Beans

While there are some options and variations for how you get green beans from the garden to the freezer, in general, you’ll need the following:

  • A large stock pot;
  • A large bowl;
  • A slotted spoon or handled strainer;
  • Clean kitchen towels;
  • A vaccuum Sealer with Freezer Bags; OR
  • Resealable Plastic Bags and a Straw.

Step 1: Prepare your supplies

Bring a large pot of water to a boil on your stovetop. We prefer to use a large stock pot just over half-full. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and place it next to your stove. Place clean kitchen towels on another surface.

blanching green beans
Blanching green beans in hot water helps stop the enzyme that would make them go bad; stop the cooking process by plunging them in cold water after 90 seconds.

Step 2: Blanch your Green Beans

Add green beans to boiling water in batches, ensuring all the beans are covered with water.  Set your timer for 90 seconds.  Remove the beans from the water with a slotted spoon or handled strainer and immediately plunge them into the cold water to stop the cooking process. 

You’ll notice that your beans change color after a quick blanch; I love how bright and vibrant green beans get, but blanching purple beans makes me a little sad because they turn green ;).  

Note: Blanching veggies before freezing helps to “turn off” the enzyme that causes them to keep ripening and go bad. The quick blanching process stops the ripening process, so your veggies will stay fresh longer after freezing.

blanched green beans
Blanched green beans turn a vibrant bright green;
dry them before bagging.

Step 3: Dry your Green Beans

Lay your blanched green beans out to dry on a clean kitchen towel (rolling them around to get excess moisture off of them helps, or if you have a ceiling fan in your kitchen, that works well too). Allow them to dry for 5-10 minutes or roll them up in the towel and gently press to move the drying process along.

Step 4: Bag your Green Beans

Use a vacuum sealing appliance to bag your beans in the desired quantities.  A vacuum sealer will help to remove most of the air from your produce, thus preventing freezer burn and ice chunks. It is the best way to keep veggies fresh in the freezer.

You can use a resealable freezer bag if you don’t have a vacuum sealing tool. It is important to remove as much air as possible when sealing.  Try zipping up your resealable bag most of the way, then insert a straw into the bag to suck out the remaining air before completely sealing up the bag.

vacuum sealed green beans
A vacuum sealer helps keep green beans especially fresh in your freezer

Step 5: Freeze your Green Beans

Your green beans are now ready for the freezer! They’ll last up to a year in the freezer and retain much of the flavor and freshness they had when harvested.

Frozen Green Beans are great roasted or steamed (we do not recommend boiling as this will add more water to beans that may already be moist).

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