Frozen Green Beans - Mushy

13 years ago

I tried freezing some green beans from the garden this year and after trying them for the first time last night, I'm pretty disappointed with the results. They were completely mushy after they defrosted.

I thought I did everything right - blanched for three minutes, plunged in ice water, drained and the popped them in the freezer. So, here's my question: should the beans have been completely dry before bagging them? They weren't soaking wet but I also didn't run them through a salad spinner or anything.

Any tips for next year or should I just plan on growing enough to eat fresh? We don't have a pressure canner but we had pretty good results with a batch of dilly beans in a BWB (although I did think they were a bit too vinegary - going to try cider vinegar next time).

Thanks!

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Comments (10)

readinglady
13 years ago
1. Did you shock your beans in ice water to stop the cooking after blanching?

2. I'd ask if you have a self-defrosting freezer because that perpetual cooling-warming cycle is very hard on stored foods.

3. What about your packaging? Is it possible it wasn't airtight enough?

Finally, I think the next time around you should try steam-blanching. I believe you'll like the results better.

Carol
bumble_doodle
Original Author
13 years ago
Carol,
I did shock in ice water and the packaging was pretty air tight (although not food saver tight). I never thought about the freezer being self-defrosting. It is, so that could have contributed to the problem. I followed the NCHFP directions which recommended a water blanch but I'll definitely try steam blanching too.

Should they be completely dry before packaging?

Thanks!
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As digdirt said, you are not blanching long enough, and I suspect you are not soaking them in ice water long enough. Get the water to a full boil, then put the beans in. Start counting your time from that point. Then lift the beans out of the blancher in the colander, drain the hot water off and then set them into a bowl filled with ice and then filled with water. The beans should be covered and there should be ice still floating in the water. Soak them for at least twice the amount of the blanching time. They should be cold all the way through. Then drain them again before bagging and freezing. I like to freeze my beans whole or only halved. At that size, they are great for oven roasting just like I do fresh beans. I did a couple of bags of over mature beans late last summer. They are not as good, and although I pulled strings, they are still stringy. A good reminder to me to pick them young. I really like Rattlesnake, Emerite, and Fortex beans frozen. They are all pole beans. They produce longer and heavier than bush beans, so trellising is well worth the effort to me. Don't give up! You'll find the right variety and you'll tweak the technique. Home frozen beans, IMO, are far superior to the ones available in the store.
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It may be the way you prepared them for freezing - did you blanch them first and then into an ice bath? If not they turn mushy. Then drain well, pat dry, spread out on cookie sheet to flash freeze and then package them. Or it may be that you are just over-cooking them once you take them out of the freezer. I do not thaw first, just dump them into already boiling water, let it return to a boil and then reduce to simmer for approx. 5-6 min. And it could also be the quality of the beans themselves. Some varieties freeze better than others. And harvest them when still young and tender. If left on the vine too long before picking some varieties will lose all flavor. Dave
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readinglady
13 years ago
No, drained but not dried should be sufficient.

I'll bet your freezer is the culprit.

Carol
alphonse
13 years ago
You could try this:
After they come out of the ice water, I put them in the salad spinner to remove excess water, then on a baking sheet in the freezer, which evaporates more water yet. When they are firm, into the vacuum bagger and back in the freezer.

Never like fresh, but close.
bumble_doodle
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, I've been threatening to buy a freezer for the basement so maybe I'll shop around for a manual defrost. The kitchen freezer is so full of soup & sauce that I don't have room for much else.

I may also try a batch using the salad spinner trick just to compare the two.

Thanks Carol & Alphonse!
david52 Zone 6
13 years ago
I've had better luck with the really big, fat green beans than the smaller ones.

We had some the other day - thawed on a towel, then tossed with olive oil and salt them broiled until they just started to brown and blister. Some good, that.
amysrq
13 years ago
I think David's idea of broiling is a good one!

If it makes you feel any better, I blanched, plunged, vacuum sealed and froze in a manual defrost freezer. That was two years ago. The results were so dismal that this year I didn't bother. I've just decided that beans are ones of those ephemerals we will only enjoy fresh.
jimster
13 years ago
To determine if the freezer is the cause you might store a package of commercial frozen beans for a few weeks to see if they become soggy. You might compare a package of long stored ones with a package of newly purchased.

It's my understanding that some varieties of beans freeze more successfully than others. I have no personal experience to back that.

Jim
bumble_doodle
Original Author
13 years ago
Great ideas everybody - thanks!
calliope
13 years ago
Perhaps you didn't blanch them correctly/too long or long enough. That's why you blanche veggies...to stop them from being mushy from enzymatic break-down.

Frozen Green Beans - Mushy

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readinglady

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Frozen Green Beans - Mushy

Comments (10)

readinglady

bumble_doodleOriginal Author

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