[Marches Farmer]

Not a vegetable I usually grow but will do now again I've found that rabbits don't like 'em.  Got a bumper crop too.  How do you prepare them for the freezer, though....?

[Terry T]

I just shell them and freeze. The books suggest blanching briefly first but having tried this I don't find it improves the storability -p'raps modern freezers are cool enough to prevent them degrading. It also makes them all stick together which is a pain.

[devonlad]

so easy to freeze- I grow loads along with peas precisely because of this. ive always blanched them cos my mum told me to- I avoid sticking together by making regular trips to the freezer while they're going solid and giving the bags a good ruffle

[PK]

I think rather than degradation, the main benefit of blanching is to minimise loss of flavour.

[Fleecewife]

I always blanch then freeze broad beans, as they then last longer in the freezer.  To stop them sticking together, dry them after cooling, put them loosely in their bag, then lay the bags out flat on a tray in the freezer.  Once they are frozen, shake the bag, extract air and get them back in the freezer.  This gives a 'pouring pack' like you get with Birds Eye peas, and you can take as many or as few as you need .


The main trick with broad beans is to pick them young.  If the scar on the bean is anything but green, then don't bother - it's old and chewy.  At the start of the season you can also eat the whole tiny pods as mangetout.  I've not tried freezing them at that stage as they're more as a one-off treat

[LouiseG]

We don't blanch, just shell and put in plastic bag, squeeze air out and clip it round top. That way we just open bag and keep adding as they ripen. Easy

[regen]

Broad beans should be blanched prior to freezing for 2 reasons.
1. to deactivate the enzymes which may lead to off flavours developing under some circumstances.
2. to ensure that the microbiological lode is reduced to acceptable levels- particularly important for any veg taken from freezer and defrosted and incorporated into a cold dish. e.g. mixed with any form of dressing- a few hours in the hot sun then equals food poisoning if the initial lode is high.

TO ensure any veg remains free flowing after blanching and cooling then put it in salad spinner which will remove sufficient surface water then freeze on trays before transferring to bags.

Regen