Best Way To Freeze Fresh Green Beans To Enjoy Later

As summer is winding down, so is my garden. I had a good growing season, though the amount of rain the northeast received this summer kept my season from being great. I harvested enough tomatoes to roast off and freeze a couple batches for homemade sauces and soups, and luckily my green beans were plentiful. We enjoyed them almost nightly, I gave a few handfuls away to friends, and I’m still left with a large amount that I would like to freeze to use later.

I love to go out to my garden and pick everything that is ripe and ready to eat. I go out with my harvest basket in hand, pushing aside stems and leaves to find fresh fruit and veggies that grew from seed.

Makes me feel kinda rich, ya know?!

When I went picking a couple days ago, I was so surprised at all of the green beans were ready to be picked. I was just here two days ago, I said to myself. How could this many grow so quickly? Well, they did, and I was delighted. But now what to do with 5 pounds of fresh green beans?

Freezing vs. Canning Fruits And Vegetables

On the way back into the house, I thought it would be great to preserve them to use in the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. Maybe serve them as a side dish to a winter comfort food meal. My first thought was to can them. I love to can and see all of those jars lined up in our pantry. (Check out my best canning tip HERE!) But alas, it was 90 degrees outside that day, and the thought of boiling a huge stock pot of water and keeping it at a low boil for an hour or so in our hot as heck kitchen didn’t float my boat at all.

Freezing them was my answer.

Whether freezing or canning, both are a great way to preserve fruits and vegetables. The difference is simply one preserves with heat and the other with cold. Canning is certainly a longer process, so if you’re in a time crunch and you have room in your freezer, then I recommend using this method.

Best Way To Freeze Fresh Green Beans To Enjoy Later

This preserving process could not be simpler and when you follow this tip step by step, the green beans will be good in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Step 1. Rinse the green beans in cold water. Cut the ends off and discard.

Step 2. Fill a stock pot 2/3 way up with water and bring to a boil.

Step 3. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with a dish cloth.

Step 4. Prepare an ice bath, filling a large bowl with water and ice. Set aside.

Step 5. Once the water comes up to a rolling boil, add green beans and boil for exactly 2 minutes.

Step 6. Using a large slotted spoon, remove green beans and put directly into the ice bath. Leave in the ice bath for 7 minutes. You may need to add more ice, if necessary. The key is to completely stop the blanching process.

Step 7. Remove green beans from ice bath and place in a single layer on the towel lined baking sheet. Using a paper towel, dab the water off the green beans.

Step 8. Place baking sheet with green beans in the freezer, ensuring that it is flat on the shelf. Freeze (remember the green beans need to be in a single layer) until green beans are completely frozen.

Step 9. Remove from freezer and place green beans in an airtight freezer bag and place back in the freezer.

That’s it. Easy breezy and the best way to freeze fresh green beans for a future use. Another great advantage for freezing fresh green beans is that you can take however many you need to cook out of the bag, leaving the rest in the freezer.

Enjoy this tip. It’s another great way to preserve summer ingredients to enjoy later in the winter.