Things You'll Need:
- green beans
- colander
- cutting board and knife
- ice
- baking sheets
- freezer bags
- big mixing bowl
- big pot
- timer
-
Step 1
Buy fresh green beans. They are usually cheaper when they are in season.
-
Step 2
Wash the green beans. You can use a commercial vegetable wash, but since I buy organic green beans I prefer washing them in just cold water.
-
Step 3
Cut the ends off the green beans. If the green beans are long cut them in half also.
-
Step 4
Fill a big pot with water. Put it on the stove and bring it to a boil. This is for blanching the green beans. Green beans need to be blanched (partially cooked) before freezing them to preserve the nutrients in the bean. This will make them taste better and be better for you.
-
Step 5
Once the water is boiling, put some of the cut green beans into the water. Be careful not to burn yourself! Set a timer for 2 minutes.
-
Step 6
While the green beans are in the boiling water it is time to prepare the ice bath for them. Fill a big mixing bowl with ice and cold water.
-
Step 7
Once the 2 minutes are up, quickly add the beans to the ice bath. I use a slotted spoon for this, or you could use a colander and drain the beans.
-
Step 8
Leave the beans in the ice bath until they are no longer hot.
-
Step 9
Drain beans and put in a single layer on a baking sheet.
-
Step 10
Put the beans in the freezer until they are frozen solid. Freezing them on a baking sheet in a single layer will help the beans not stick together. If you put all the beans straight into a bag you will end up with a big block of frozen beans.
-
Step 11
Label freezer bags with date and contents.
-
Step 12
Fill freezer bag with beans and suck out excess air. (This helps keep them fresh longer.)
-
Step 13
Beans can be stored in the freezer this way for months.
