How to Blanch Green Beans
Blanching green beans is how you prepare them for going into the freezer! This is a great thing to know and makes preserving a small amount of green beans possible.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- As many green beans as you have to preserve it can be a large or small amount
- A pot of water
- A large bowl of ice water
Instructions
- Prepare your green beans by washing them, breaking off the stem ends, and snapping them into bite sized pieces.
- Bring a pot, half filled with water, to a boil. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water if you'd like.
- While the water is boiling, add in some green beans, working in batches if needed, as to not over fill the pot.
- Bring the water back to a boil and boil the green beans for 1 minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the green beans from the boiling water and place them in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Repeat the boiling and ice water bath process as needed to use all of your green beans.
- Your green beans are now blanched and you can put them in freezer safe containers and freeze or use them in recipes that call for blanched fresh green beans.
Notes
- This recipe is ideal for getting small amount of green beans into the freezer. If my garden hasn't produced enough to can a bunch, I'll just put little batches in the freezer as I have extras. It's so nice to have fresh (frozen) beans in the winter!
- Before you begin blanching you will want to wash and trim your green beans. I rinse mine in a colander under cold water and then shake to dry. As for trimming, you (or your kids) can snap off the hard ends by hand or you can cut them with a knife.
- After you remove the beans from the ice bath, drain them and pat them dry before storing them, especially if you're storying them in the refrigerator.
- Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze them if not using them right away.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/2 cup green beans | Calories: 16kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.5g | Protein: 0.9g | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 1.6g
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