The green beans are in full production, with only 4 pole bean plants there’s more beans than we can possibly eat!

I’ve been picking beans every three days, waiting any longer produces beans that are too big and fat. They get stringy and tough. Don’t let them grow this big!

Since there’s so many beans, I’ve been picking them at a smaller size, and  picking beans produces more beans.

I picked a large basket full, and prepared them for freezing. I will use them this winter in soups and stews.

Here are instructions for freezing green beans

Place in a collander, rinse. Cut off ends, and cut in to about 1 ½ inch size pieces.

Place in a saucepan on a steamer. Turn heat to high, and once the water starts to boil, place a lid on the pot and steam them for 3 minutes. You can also blanch them by dropping them in boiling water for 3 minutes instead of steaming if you prefer. This partial cooking keeps the texture and color when freezing.

After three minutes, transfer the beans to ice water to stop the cooking process, and leave them in the water about 3 minutes.

Drain them in a colander, and place them on a clean towel to dry.

Place in a gallon size freezer zip lock bag, and freeze. Beans can be kept in the freezer for up to a year.