Getting ready for winter: how to freeze beans while preserving their beneficial properties and what to cook from them later

Homemade preparations allow you to save money and provide owners with healthy and high-quality products for the cold season. All varieties of beans contain vitamins B, C and T, carbohydrates, easily digestible protein, calcium and iron. However, not each of them is suitable for preparing preparations. Therefore, before freeze beans for the winter, it is important to study all the nuances and features of working with this product.

Selection and preparation of legumes

Green beans differ from vegetable beans in that there is no hard layer in their structure. Young pods are suitable for making soups, salads, stews and side dishes without the need to remove the seeds from the pods.

Important! If you collect the pods in a timely manner, they will not need to be subjected to prolonged cooking and will have a delicate taste.

You can freeze beans of different colors. As a rule, green fruits are sold in stores, but white, yellow, purple and red ones can be grown in the country and cooked. In addition, when cut, they can be of various shapes:

• flat;
• cylindrical.

Reference. Often round pods are chosen for freezing, thinking that they are much juicier and softer. However, their shape does not affect the quality after freezing.

Freeze if desired green beans for the winter period, you should prefer the following varieties:

• Butter King;
• Fakir;
• Crane;
• Mask;
• Sonesta.

For subsequent freezing, the pods are removed from the bushes regularly: they must be picked at a time when the skin is still thin and the seeds are small. Pods ready for freezing look like in the photo.

When sorting raw materials for procurement, you must:

• remove fruits that have mechanical damage or stains;
• disinfect them: soak them in a weak solution of baking soda and rinse in running water;
• place the pods on a sieve and dry on a cloth;
• trim the ends on both sides.

Such processing eliminates the possibility of spoilage of the product and increases the nutritional value of the product.

Features of asparagus varieties

The following varieties of green beans are distinguished:

1. Royal purple pod.
2. Golden nectar.
3. Fana.
4. Blau Hilde.
5. Gina asparagus.
6. Winner.
7. Deer King.
8. Paloma scuba.

Varietal characteristics of green bean fruits affect their use:

• fleshy pods are better suited for preservation;
• thin ones are more suitable for use in stews, soups and salads.

Fully ripened seeds of asparagus varieties are eaten, however, unlike ordinary legumes, their shell is rougher, so they require prolonged soaking and prolonged cooking. Similar to the common variety, the asparagus variety is grown in bush, semi-climbing and climbing forms and is low maintenance, so it is often found in vegetable gardens and greenhouses.

How to freeze green beans

For freezing, you must choose green beans that have already reached the required maturity. The pod should be dense and elastic; if you try to bend it, it will break. Inside, the pulp is visible at the break; if seeds are visible, they should be small in size, about the size of a grain of rice.

Of course, the seed pods themselves should not have any stains, damage, etc. It happens that ordinary beans that are not ripe are passed off as asparagus beans. This is easy to understand: you need to break the pod into two parts, and if there is a fibrous thread on the side, this means that this is an ordinary bean.

Before freezing green beans you need to prepare: rinse, dry and trim the tails on both sides. The pods are then cut into pieces of any size. You can freeze the whole thing - it all depends on your tastes and wishes.

Universal freezing method

Thanks to blanching, the pods become soft, while retaining their beneficial properties, taste and color. It’s easy enough to defrost such a preparation – and you can immediately prepare a salad or other vegetable dishes that do not involve heat treatment.

Cooking steps:

1. Pour 3 liters of water into a large saucepan, wait until it boils and place the pods there.
2. Boil them in boiling water for three minutes.
3. After time, the water is drained and the pods are transferred to a container with ice water.
4. After three minutes, the pods are laid out on a clean cloth and dried.
5. After this, you need to put the beans in a container and put them in the freezer.

Basic subtleties

When freezing beans, it is important to consider the following nuances:

• It is necessary to place the workpiece in bags or containers as quickly as possible so that the beans do not begin to defrost;
• Do not reduce the heat, otherwise the cooking technology will be disrupted;
• It is allowed to use cold water instead of ice. However, using ice is a more suitable method.

Read also:

How to grow delicious green beans in the country.

How to grow black beans in your garden and cook them correctly.

What are the benefits of green beans, how to grow and cook them correctly.

Freezing other types of beans

The correct technology for freezing beans will allow you to obtain a high-quality product, which will subsequently be used in the preparation of various dishes.

Red

Ripened beans contain more protein than young pods, but this makes them a little more difficult to freeze.

Reference. This preparation is suitable for preparing purees and first courses.

Red ripened beans can be frozen either raw (pre-soaked) or cooked until tender.

Boiled frozen bean seeds must be thawed in the refrigerator so that ice crystals do not damage their delicate structure.

Boiled

To preserve their beneficial properties, it is better to soak beans rather than cook them. It is necessary to soak in cold water for a day, while periodically replacing it with fresh water.

This procedure looks like this step by step:

1. After harvesting, we clean the beans from the pod leaves, rinse and soak for 12 hours in water at room temperature.
2. Change the water and place the seeds in the refrigerator for two days. At this time, the fruits will increase in size, and in the future they will be much easier to process thermally.
3. Place the beans in a saucepan, add water and simmer over low heat until tender.
4. Strain through a colander and leave to dry a little.
5. Place the fruits in containers and freeze.

Reference. If you plan to use the product in the form of a puree, you can mash the fruits and put the product into portion bags or small containers for freezing.

Raw

The easiest method is to freeze raw green beans. In the future, such preparation will be an excellent addition to soups, meat dishes or vegetable stews.

This freezing technique requires several steps:

1. Prepare the beans using the method described above.
2. Place the pods on a large flat plate. At this point they should be completely dry and cut (if required).
3. In this form they are placed in the freezer for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove to a plate and transfer the pods to containers or plastic bags for later storage.

Canned

Legumes freeze well, so you can easily subject ready-made canned beans to this procedure:

1. It can be frozen either flat or in the form of a pate or ready-made dressing for first courses.
2. Depending on the method chosen, you should grind it with a blender into a homogeneous mass or prepare a container with beans in a tomato.
3. Place the product ready for freezing in a container, close it and place it in the freezer.

Important! Be sure to leave marks on the products with the date of freezing.

Bean puree should not be defrosted in hot water or in the microwave. The container must be placed in a tray and left in the refrigerator overnight.

How to store frozen food

Frozen beans can be stored for no more than six months. It can be used after this period only under the following conditions:

• in the freezer compartment the temperature is -18 degrees or lower;
• the workpiece was completed correctly;
• the packaging is sufficiently sealed;
• the product was not thawed during storage.

The pods can be packed either in special containers or in bags for freezing. It is more convenient to pack bean puree in portions: as much as is necessary for one-time preparation of a dish, so as not to defrost the entire prepared product.

How to cook frozen green beans

The presence of such a preparation allows the housewife to prepare a full dish or side dish within 20 minutes. Simply cooked beans go equally well with meat, fish and poultry.

Cooking and cooking in a slow cooker

Frozen green beans need to be boiled for 5-7 minutes. In a double boiler the process will take longer – 12-15 minutes.

Reference. For the salad, the pods are cooked for only three minutes.

Frozen green beans are usually placed in a slow cooker straight from the freezer. It can be prepared with meat, mushrooms, fish or cereals. The multicooker allows you to boil, stew, fry and even bake foods - bean pods can be cooked in any mode, depending on the desired dish.

Green bean soup

Frozen green bean soup can seriously compete with your favorite borscht or solyanka. This light and satisfying soup will diversify the usual menu with fresh and bright taste.

Ingredients:

• frozen green beans – 200 g;
• potatoes – 1 pc.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
• garlic, herbs, salt and spices - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut vegetables: potatoes and onions into cubes, carrots into thin strips.
2. Fry the onions and carrots in olive oil until half cooked.
3. For this dish, the pods do not need to be defrosted; they will cook well in the soup. To prepare it, it is better to choose a pan with a thick bottom: pour 1.5 liters of cold water into it and throw in the green beans. Put it on the fire to boil.
4. After boiling, add potatoes and cook until tender.
5. When the potatoes are soft enough, add the fried vegetables, salt and spices.
6. After boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer over low heat for half an hour.

Rassolnik with beans and pickles

This soup turns out very light and tasty. Ideal for hot summers.

Ingredients:

• beans – 100 g;
• potatoes – 2-3 pcs. (large);
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• tomato – 1 pc. (large);
• pickled cucumbers – 200-300 g;
• cucumber pickle – 3/4 cup;
• vegetable oil – 40 ml;
• salt and seasonings - to taste;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• bay leaf – 2-3 pcs.

Preparation:

1. It is better to take small beans for soup (any color). It’s good if you have a stock of frozen beans that have been pre-soaked. Otherwise, it takes 6-8 hours to soak it. Only after this should it be boiled. There is no need to drain the water after cooking - this is the basis of the future soup.
2. While the beans are cooking, you need to prepare the vegetables: peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes, grate the carrots on a medium grater, chop the onion and tomato into cubes.
3. Fry the onion, tomato and carrots a little in vegetable oil.
4. When they become soft, add the diced pickles and leave to simmer, covered, for several minutes.
5. Add boiling water to the water from the beans and bring to a boil.
6. After boiling, add the potatoes, cook for 10-15 minutes and add the beans.
7. Add vegetable dressing and brine.
8. Add salt, spices and bay leaf to taste and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Frozen green bean salad

You can quickly make a light and tasty salad from green beans.

Ingredients:

• green beans – 400 g;
• sesame – 1 tbsp. l.;
• soy sauce – 2 tbsp. l.;
• liquid honey – 1 tbsp. l.;
• sea ​​salt, black pepper - to taste;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Add oil to a heated frying pan and add beans. Fry the pods over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.If the beans were frozen, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until cooked.
2. Transfer the pods to a salad bowl, add sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey, salt and spices.
3. Stir and let stand for five minutes. Afterwards you can serve the salad to the table.

Stewed beans with meat in a slow cooker

For this hearty dish you will need pork or beef.

Ingredients:

• boneless meat – 0.5 kg;
• green beans – 0.5 kg;
• onion – 2 medium heads;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• spices and oil;
• ketchup – 2 tbsp. l.;
• water – 150 ml.

Preparation:

1. Cut the washed meat into centimeter-thick pieces and beat each layer a little.
2. Cut the layers into strips.
3. Add a little oil to the multicooker container and let it warm up slightly.
4. Add meat and fry until half cooked.
5. When the meat begins to brown, add the onion, chopped into large pieces. Fry for 10 minutes.
6. Add bean pods. If the beans are frozen, you can immediately add ketchup or tomato. If adding fresh beans, add water. Mix all ingredients and leave in simmer mode for 20 minutes.
7. Add salt and spices, mix again and leave for 10 minutes in the same mode.
8. When ready, add the herbs and garlic and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Stewed green beans with vegetables and herbs

Bean pods go well with herbs and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• beans in pods – 0.5 kg;
• mushrooms – 400 g;
• eggplants – 400 g;
• carrots – 100 g;
• onion – 100 g;
• garlic - to taste;
• tomato paste – 2 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut the mushrooms, place in a frying pan and fry in oil.
2. Chop the onion and carrots and add to the mushrooms.
3. To remove bitterness, cut the eggplants, add salt, leave for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Add to onions and carrots.
4. Add green beans and fry for 10 minutes.
5. Mix tomato paste with a little water and add to the pan. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Squeeze the garlic through a press and add spices.

Green beans with carrots and garlic

A universal side dish for meat and fish dishes.

Ingredients:

• frozen green beans – 400 g;
• frozen mini carrots – 200 g;
• granulated garlic - 1/3 tsp;
• salt - to taste;
• olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Boil the vegetables in salted water for four minutes and drain in a colander.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan, add vegetables and add granulated garlic. Fry until done, stirring occasionally.
3. Add salt to taste.

This dish must be served immediately.

Conclusion

Winter preparations from asparagus beans are easy to prepare and subsequently use. It is important to prepare the legumes correctly: you need to leave only dense and whole pods without stains or damage.

There are several ways to freeze beans: the choice depends on how you plan to use them in the future. From such preparations you can prepare many interesting salads, hearty hot dishes and side dishes.