I quit buying frozen beans years ago for that reason. No matter how long I cook them, they are hard and unappetizing.

I like frozen petite whole green beans from Aldi when I use frozen, and always keep a package of them in my freezer. Regular (mature) sized green beans seem to be much tougher. I vacuum-seal them in FoodSaver bags for freezer storage.

Have you considered freeze-dried veggies? I really love them. So easy to use and they have wonderful flavor and texture. If you don't want to purchase them in #10 cans, you can purchase them in smaller sizes to give them a test run before investing in the large cans. I vacuum-seal them in user-friendly portions in canning jars after I open a #10 can so they keep fresh longer.

I'd suggest Mountain House brand (www.mountainhouse.com). Other places sell Mountain House and many have them on sale occasionally, so compare on-line prices. You can take out a portion from the small packets in the amount you need and zip the seal shut until you need them again, or use the whole packet for 2-servings. For instance, if I have a cup of leftover rice I will rehydrate a tablespoon or two each of peas and corn and add it and some salsa to the rice for Spanish rice. I also use a lot of freeze-dried fruit. These are a part of our home food storage.

For green beans, I have found that Trader Joe's haricot verts are quite good. They are thin so cook up well. The price is generally not bad. This summer, I hope to harvest enough green beans to dehydrate, known as little britches in the South. They supposedly have a deeper flavor.

I have tried to appreciate frozen veggies but it just does not work for me unless it is going to be pureed. The only ones I find work keeping around are frozen corn, frozen petite peas, green beans and spinach.

My store actually seems to be carrying more kinds of frozen vegetables than ever before. I can find frozen asparagus now, which I rarely saw before. And frozen summer squash. Neither one is all that great but something to toss into a soup or pasta or stir fry occasionally. Also frozen mixed peppers, which are great to add to things.

I keep corn, peas. pearl onions, French cut green beans and spinach as frozen staples. And kaffir lime leaves.

Do you freeze your veggies together or in separate packages.? I like to use the combiination of veggies . That has b een my problem though because the recent ones do not finish at the same time. The green beans and other beans that they have been inserting in these combination packages. I am debating about putting my own packages together. I think if I do that, I will have to microwave some of them before putting them together. That complicates matters. Thanks all. Barb

Barb, are you talking about vegetable packages with names like "Farm Blend," California Blend," "Country Vegetables," etc.? I like two corn blends: One has corn, red bell pepper, and broccoli; the other has corn, cut green beans, and carrots. You're right. They are difficult to cook just right. The broccoli in the one usually ends up a bit overdone, while the one with green beans & carrots needs to cook quite a bit longer otherwise the green beans are still too raw.

Maybe the idea of having separate vegetables and combining them as you're cooking would work. For example, cook the frozen green beans and carrots about 4 minutes before adding corn. Or combine all the vegetables that cook at about the same time in packages. Keep the green beans separate and microwave them first before combining with the other vegetables. I'm sure you'll come up with a great solution.

I posted about this on the Harvest forum. I love those veggie combos, I got some on sale once and have been hooked. But they are pricey so I was thinking about making my own. One of the posters on Harvest said that he saw something about how they make them on TV, that they freeze them separately and then combine. Seems like they could cook the beans or carrots or firmer vegetables a bit before combining to assure they all reheat evenly. Anyway, some blends are better than others I have found. I love the convenience of them, and great for me as a single person, that they come in single serving containers.

lpinkmontain- I, like you, love the small containers for one person, but unfortuniately, they have a very high sodium count. At least, those that we have here, mostly, brocccoli and cauiflowerm but unfortunately, those veggies are not compatible with me, even though the sodium is so high. Sometimes can tolerate the cauliflower but too much of the broccoli is a detriment.

Yeah so I was thinking I could do up my own freezer veggie combos tailored to my taste starting with fresh vegetables and then freezing them in those plastic containers you can buy at the grocery. But I don't know if they would turn out good. The only thing I do sometimes is roast up a whole bunch of vegetables with some EVOO and seasonings, and then freeze some. That's usually pretty good thawed out and microwaved. I've never tried anything with peppers, carrots or green beans though.