Help! I can't stop canning green beans!!

[Tracy]

Can you freeze green beans? If so, do you cook them first?

Yes, I have done this in years past, and they turn out quite good. You blanch (boil) them for 3 minutes, then cool them in ice water to stop the cooking. Then bag and freeze. I think the point of the blanching is to kill certain enzymes that cause the beans to go bad in the freezer. I've frozen them a year or more with great results. When you cook them to eat them, cook them down with a little country ham. yum.

[oletimer]

I do have some seeds that I can send you. However, I sent someone some seeds a couple of years ago and they couldn't get them to sprout. Anyway, if you want me to send you some seeds...let me know.

This winter when you trim back your vines, just take the cuting and put them in the ground. will need to be a wet like place. This is usely done in the last of Jan or early Feb., many of them will take roots and grow new vines andthat how that grower get net plants.

[Shellie]

Thank you, Oletimer. I will try that.

[RuSKY]

I've canned 112 quarts, and I'm about to go out and pick more!

lol. It's a good year for green beans. God is really blessing our garden this year. A handful didn't seal (so we've been eating quite a few) but I'm getting the hang of it now. It's my first year to can green beans. I think I have about 103 quarts stored up. It's a wonder I'm not dreaming about green beans

I've also frozen squash and zucchini, and canned tomatoes and pickles and made peach preserves, strawberry jam and blackberry jam. (We didn't grow the fruit; I got it from other places)

Any other garden reports? I love to hear how others' gardens are doing.

Tracy,

So far this season, I have canned 84 quarts of green beans for my family but I have been involved with over 200 quarts.

My wife works and I am retired. So, I rounded up some of the women at church and they break beans while I wash, pack and pressure cook the beans.
Let me tell you, those women will work a man nearly to death.

I made several pints of sweet pickles.

Also I have frozen 65 pints of corn, and about 5 gallon of wild blackberrys.
I have frozen 7 pints of butter beans. I expect to freeze 30- 40 more.

Last evening, the wife an I decided to check out the potato crop. We dug a 5 gallon bucket full from 9 hills. We will likely have 8=10 five gallon buckets when we finish.

I still have a late crop of beans, summer squash, zuchennni and corn.
Also I have tomatoes coming on now , so I will freeze some for vegetable soup and juice some to can.

We had a good rain, 1.5 inches just this week. It has been really dry in our area this summer. But God has provided anyway, and the garden has done well.

RuSKY

[MacUser]

I've several vines on my property of Muscadines - large ones! One next to my house is ancient and climbs into the top of dogwood trees and covers a few lower tree tops. Also a bumper crop of blackberries also.

Any pictures of all this food?

[Tracy]

So far this season, I have canned 84 quarts of green beans for my family but I have been involved with over 200 quarts.

My wife works and I am retired. So, I rounded up some of the women at church and they break beans while I wash, pack and pressure cook the beans.
Let me tell you, those women will work a man nearly to death.

I made several pints of sweet pickles.

Also I have frozen 65 pints of corn, and about 5 gallon of wild blackberrys.
I have frozen 7 pints of butter beans. I expect to freeze 30- 40 more.

Last evening, the wife an I decided to check out the potato crop. We dug a 5 gallon bucket full from 9 hills. We will likely have 8=10 five gallon buckets when we finish.

I still have a late crop of beans, summer squash, zuchennni and corn.
Also I have tomatoes coming on now , so I will freeze some for vegetable soup and juice some to can.

We had a good rain, 1.5 inches just this week. It has been really dry in our area this summer. But God has provided anyway, and the garden has done well.

RuSKY

Wow!!! You have been busy! That is amazing. If we run out of food this winter, I know where to come

It is a lot of work. That is for sure. I I'm sitting down eating lunch while the canner runs.

[RuSKY]

Wow!!! You have been busy! That is amazing. If we run out of food this winter, I know where to come

You will have to get in line behind our three kids and our grandbabies.
They haul a lot of it back to their homes, when they come visit through the year.

RuSKY

[Tracy]

I've several vines on my property of Muscadines - large ones! One next to my house is ancient and climbs into the top of dogwood trees and covers a few lower tree tops. Also a bumper crop of blackberries also.

Any pictures of all this food?

Here are a couple. Shown are blackberry jam that I made and some flowers that we grew...



And here are some peach preserves, pickles and green beans...

[rough_rider]

Can you freeze green beans? If so, do you cook them first?

Yes, I have done this in years past, and they turn out quite good. You blanch (boil) them for 3 minutes, then cool them in ice water to stop the cooking. Then bag and freeze. I think the point of the blanching is to kill certain enzymes that cause the beans to go bad in the freezer. I've frozen them a year or more with great results. When you cook them to eat them, cook them down with a little country ham. yum.

Thanks Tracy...

[Susie Hamilton]

OK, I grew up on a farm with all fresh food. We only went to the store for bread and soda. I want to be adopted by Tracy and/or RuSKY.

[Tracy]

OK, I grew up on a farm with all fresh food. We only went to the store for bread and soda. I want to be adopted by Tracy and/or RuSKY.

Come on over. Do you like yellow squash?

It's a good year for squash.

[RuSKY]

Can you freeze green beans? If so, do you cook them first?

R.R.

Last night, a lady at church told that she makes "Dirty Beans."
She just breaks her beans, puts them in a doubled pillow case
and freezes them. Do not wash the beans until you take them out
to cook them. When you take them out to cook, just treat them like
fresh picked beans. She says they are delicious.

I'm going to try a small batch, just to see if it is a good way to
preserve them.

RuSKY

[Tracy]

My friend has done this--frozen them without washing them. It worked great for them!

[Pianoman]

Come on over. Do you like yellow squash?

It's a good year for squash.

Does anyone have any good squash recipes?
I didn't know until I was in my 20s that you
could fix squash any other way besides battered
& fried (jury is still out on that verdict
by the way!).

I had a relative that made a squash boat (kind of
like a potato skin thing) with sausage & cheese
in it. It was ummmm..... different.

[Shellie]

Pianoman asked:

Does anyone have any good squash recipes?

Yep...I've had many squash casseroles, but this one is the bomb! This is the only way all 4 of my kids eat squash.

2 lbs. yellow squash sliced about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Bring to a boil in salted water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain well.

To that add 1 diced onion, 1 grated carrot, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 16 oz. sour cream and 1 stick melted butter. Mix well.

Line a 13 x 9 with 1/2 of a small bag of peppridge farm herb stuffing crumbs. (don't use the cubes..used the crushed)

Pour squash mixture in and smooth over. Pour rest of bag of stuffing crumbs and smooth out. Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 45 minutes or until stuffing crumbs are brown.

I promise you will thank me!