We picked 5 gallon of green beans out of the garden a week or two ago, and wouldn’t you know it was at an extremely busy time for us!  I was planning on canning these, but due to the time crunch, I froze them instead.  This process takes much less time!  Obviously you pick your green beans first, then you rinse them off.  The kids gave them a rincing off outside, then I brought them in and with the help of a strainer, did a little better job.

After rinsing them, I got water started boiling in the biggest pot I have, and began snapping off the ends and snapping them in half.  I gave all the little kids a butter knife and cutting board so they could work on their knife skills safely.

We gave all the end pieces to the rabbits and chickens.

This is what they look like snapped in half.

When you have them finished, throw them in your boiling water.  BE CAREFUL!  I was able to do around 2 1/2 gallons at a time in by big pot.   This was a time saver.  When it comes back to a rolling boil, time them for around 3 minutes or until they turn brighter.  This is called blanching.  Blanching kills the yucky stuff, locks in flavor, and cuts your cooking time in half!

Strain them and quickly throw them in an ice bath to stop them cooking.

As soon as they cool spread them out on a towel to drain and pat them dry a little.

Label and put them in your freezer bags!

It may seem like a lot of work compared to opening up a can from the store, but you cannot even compare the nutritional value!!!  It is worth it, and your stomach will thank you.

Recipe:

1. Put 1 gallon of green beans in pot.
2. Cover with a few inches of water over the top of the beans.
3. Add 1 stick of butter and 1/2 small chopped onion (or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried minced onion, if you don’t have fresh)
4. Fry 5 slices of bacon, chop and put in your green beans.
5. Add 1/4 cup bacon grease rendering to green beans.
6. Boil away!  Check your water every now and then and add some if needed.

These are even better the second day!!!