Simple and easy method on how to blanch green beans (no canning involved)
We’ve never really cared for the taste of canned green beans. . . they’re just so far from the garden-fresh ones during the summer. It seems you are only trying to make winter more depressing by eating canned green beans, so I decided to completely give up the canning and start blanching them! They taste so much better, and its honestly a much quicker and easier method as well. You won’t have to break out any canning equipment, trust me!
Step by step instructions on how to blanch green beans
There isn’t a specific amount of beans that you need to do this. I usually just pick whatever is in the garden at the time. Dump the beans into the sink and rinse them off and snap the ends. If you prefer your beans in smaller pieces, now would be the time to break them up.
The Blanching Process
Fill a large pot half way with water and bring to a boil on the stove. Once it’s boiling, dump in as many beans as you can keep under the water. Keep the burner on high, and as soon as the water (with the beans in it) starts boiling again (approx. 3-4 min), quickly scoop the beans out of the boiling water and dump them into another large pot that is filled with ice water.
Flash Freezing:
Let the beans chill in the ice water for about 5 minutes, then scoop out and spread them onto a cookie sheet lined with a dish cloth or paper towels. Place in the freezer for about an hour. Honestly, they could stay in there for a day if you don’t have time to get back to them in an hour. I wouldn’t recommend any longer than a day, or they will get freezer burn or taste like the freezer!
Once they’ve frozen solid on the cookie sheets, bag them up into whatever sized ziploc you prefer. I usually do 2 gallons.
* NOTE If you don’t have the time to lay the beans out on cookie sheets and freeze, you could just go ahead and bag them up and throw them in the freezer. But keep in mind that the beans will be clumped and frozen together when you pull them out to cook.
NOTES on how to blanch green beans
What makes blanching green beans so much different than canning, is the amount of heat that is on the beans is a lot less than if you were canning them. With canning, they would need to be in a pressure canner for 45 minutes. A general rule is that the longer something is under heat, it loses nutrients, texture or flavor. And after many summers of having a garden full of fresh green beans, it is so hard to go and eat mushy, canned green beans during the winter.
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