Broad beans?

[Safhyre]

Hi there,
have picked beans today...sooooooooooooo excited as its the first thing I have ever ever cropped....eeeeeeeeeeeek

I know I am suppose to blanch...so is it
blanch
cool
freeze?

if so, is it in salt or plain water, do I just have them in the water a couple of mins?
I know its better to freeze on a tray, so that they dont freeze together...

all help appreciated

[FionaH]

I have no idea how to cook or freeze broad beans! But congratulations on yur first crop! Wonderful feeling isnt it?

[Safhyre]

Oh FionaH....it is fab!!!
I look forward to next year and not being a newbie, but I am totally enjoying the learning so far and what is yet to come

[lottie dolly]

all i do is shell..wash...bag...freeze,just give the bag a shake up then they all separate,to cook,put them in a steamer from frozen,the same time as normal,i personaly never blanch anything,as they tend to be soggy,

[selfraising]

It's so exciting! I think you blanche for 2-3 minutes and then do what you said e.g. cool and freeze. Last year I didn't put mine in salt water but I shouldn't think it would make any difference if you did.

[Safhyre]

Lottie and self....thanks for the advice

[Hilary B]

OK a bit of 'freezer-book' advice.

If you dry them thoroughly after washing or blanching, they are less likely to freeze together (drain in colander, then tip out, dry colander, line colander with kitchen towel roll, put veg back in, and give them a good shaking).

Lots of veg will be OK without blanching, but stay nice longer if blanched.

Some kinds of beans the 'skin' can get tough if blanched in salt water. I don't know whether this applies to broad beans.....

[Scottishnewbie]

Alternatively, you could just EAT them!

[Two_Sheds]

Eat raw, straight from the pod (no washing up).

[Two_Sheds]

I froze them last year, and they turned all brown and horrid after a while. Turning them into Broad Bean Hummous and freezing that was more successful.

[Alison]

Lots of veg will be OK without blanching, but stay nice longer if blanched.

I find that veg is much nicer if not blanched, it seems to give it a bit of a soggy texture when it thaws. Obviously by far the nicest way to eat it though is as fresh as possible!

[Safhyre]

well I did eat quite a few, as did my son...who woke with tummy ache last night...

froze big batch and half blanched, half not.....will take note of results

[Rocketron]

Eat raw, straight from the pod (no washing up).

I thought they were poisonous when eaten raw ?

[Hilary B]

I find that veg is much nicer if not blanched, it seems to give it a bit of a soggy texture when it thaws. Obviously by far the nicest way to eat it though is as fresh as possible!

Yes, some (quite a lot in fact, runner beans are top of the list so far as I have seen) do go soggy if blanched, but they stay 'as nice as when first frozen' for longer if they are blanched. Frozen veg DO change slowly while frozen. Blanched veg change slower than unblanched.
It really depends how long you want to keep them in the freezer, a couple of months because you can't use everything at once, or 'until next year's crop comes in'.