How long did you blanch them? I tried pressure canning them once but they turned out much mushier. I blanch for 3 min. then they go into ice or really cold water to cool them quickly.

Cindy

Huh. Do you suppose it has something to do with the variety of green bean? Sorry though - I got my beans from a farmers market so I don't know what kind they were.

Cindy

I don't know if variety affects freezing. A friend of mine has had the same "mushy bean" results with all her beans over the years.

With the 3 or even 5 minute blanch, ours haven't ever been mushy. Are they grown to an early or late stage - are their seeds developed inside the pod? I pick mine a lot earlier than most around here - good sized, but not real mature.
good luck!

I just did another gallon of yellow wax beans. They get the stems cut off and cut. I blanch for 3 minutes in a boiling water dip. They get cooled quickly in ice water and are drained, and placed on a bit towel to assist in removing the excess water. Then they are bagged. When cook some, I do it in the microwave and add no water. Its cooked in a coverd dish or corningware. Its drained and and buttered. They come out very good with just about 3 minutes in the microwave if you cooking a small batch for two. The green pole beans are treated the same, as are the purple string beans. When I grow the purple ones, their color starts to change to green once they are blanched.

liv2learn --

Blanched and frozen beans are never going to have the snap of fresh cooked ones. HOWEVER, my husband and I freeze LOTS of green beans, and the key is to use them in different ways than you do the fresh.

Our favorite way is during the winter we take out a bag, blot excess water off them, spread them on a half sheet pan with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper, and then roast them in a 425 degree oven, stirring once, until they are getting delicious brown spots -- about 15 to 20 minutes. They are SO good this way -- totally addictive, a little crispy, delicious!

Another way we use our frozen beans is to stew them slowly with sauteed onions, a bit of bacon, a little garlic, and some tomatoes...

Hope this helps...

Emily

gladgrowing, the beans are harvested fairly young. The seeds are not well-developed in the pods.

ksrogers, do you mean you reconstitute the frozen green beans in the microwave with no water? I just tried it and the beans are more mushy. Some were still cold and some too hot and soft. Perhaps when I reheat the frozen beans I should only reblanch them - reheat briefly in boiling water.

fearlessem, maybe you have hit upon the key: Get the family to eat beans in some form other than the usual steamed or boiled! They are pretty fussy about vegetable preparation. I like the roasted idea you gave. I think I will try that one next.

Thanks.

When I mircowave most of my frozen veggies, I do not add any water or any other liquid of any kind. They don't usually need any water. If the micrwave has no revolving tray and a poor 'stirrer' at the top, behind the plastic oven liner, then they can get unevenly heated. I have 4x4 inch square corningware dishes with about a 2 inch depth. They have a glass cover and when I put the frozen beans, corn, or even peas, in there I only cook for about 3-4 minutes. Mine have never had any cold or unthawed beans, unless they just sit stationary and there is no microwave movement (you can even see it!). Many cheap microwaves have no rotating glass tray inside, so at best, the food needs to be stirred a couple of times as well as moving it into different locations inside the oven. Frozen and cooked, the beans are quiet firm, compared to something from a commercial can. I hate overcooked gray veggies that are mush and fall apart when your just take them from the can. Peas are the same mush too. Roasted may be an otion. The kind of beans also make a difference, as some do not hold up well to a freezing and cooking. To me mush would be something like apple sauce, and beans are definately not that mushy unless they came from a commercially canned company. Once the veggies are in the freezer for a year, they do build up some frost inside the bags. Most is simply frost that I can pull out before they get cooked in the microwave. By the way, my microwave is 1000 watts, and quite powerful. The way to tell is how long does it take to cook a bag of popcorn. Mine takes about 2 miutes tops, and if left a few more seconds it can burn.

my green beans are always fairly mushy too. This is really good:
long cooked green beans
Makes 6 servings.

4 pounds green beans (preferably Blue Lake variety), trimmed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chile pepper
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Bring large pot salted water to boil. Add green beans and boil, uncovered, until slightly tender but still crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. (SKIP THIS FOR FROZEN BEANS)

In large saucepan over moderately high heat, heat 1/2 cup olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf, and chile pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, just until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add green beans, chicken stock, vinegar, salt, pepper, and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Strain, remove chile and bay leaf, and serve immediately.

I steam blanch my beans, and don't have too much of a problem with them being mushy. I've found steam blanching to be better for beans for that reason.

Leigh

How long do you steam blanch a pound of beans?

I think it's usually 1-1/2 times longer for steam blanching than for water blanching.

I steam-blanch for 3 minutes for small beans like filet beans and 4-5 minutes for thicker ones (romanos and more mature snap beans).

Leigh