So in the midst of 99 degree days and clean up from demon winds that wiped out 10 trees in the yard, the green beans decided that was the time they were at their perfect size for picking.
So I picked green beans.
Some of the green beans.
I must say, as green beans go, these were pretty fine. They had no green bean rust and no bug holes. They were not too big or too small. They were just right.
I had to snap them (although I use a knife) and prep them for cooking and processing.
I threw some in the pot on the stove along with some fat back to cook. This is the southern way to cook green beans. They have to simmer on the stove for HOURS. My husband likes them best when they are fixed like this. We had these for dinner.
Other green beans I decided to put in the freezer. I had to blanch them (put them in hot water) for three minutes.
I forgot to take a picture of that part.
After they cooked for three minutes, I put them on ice to keep them from cooking even more.
Next I put them on a cookie sheet, and then I took a paper towel to them to rid them of excess water.
These are some of the finished beans, ready for the freezer. They will taste good this winter.
Wow - those beans look delicious! I'm not a fan of green beans (we call them runner beans) but I would eat those. (We used to get given ones by our neighbour, but only towards the end of their season, when they had gone hard and stiff and had developed a nasty silver skin. Obviously our neighbours didn't like them that way, and I didn't like them till I was given some tender, young, fresh ones by another friend!) But I didn't believe the southern way of cooking vegetables till I saw it. Cook out all the goodness and replace it with salty, fatty, nastiness. I'm baffled by that.
ReplyDeleteWe had snap beans, too, from our garden. This year we decided to get some of those pretty purple ones along with the green. We were disappointed (but fascinated, too) at how they gradually turn green as you cook them.
ReplyDeletegreat looking beans, Anita. We've picked some today, but not nearly as many. Then we did drastically reduce the size of our garden this year, but still have more cukes than 2 people can eat. Some tomatoes are ripening and we also have green peppers. I've tried blanching and freezing beans in past years when we did have an overflow crop, but when taken out for use they were quite soggy and useful only in winter soups.
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