How to freeze asparagus beans for the winter while maintaining their beneficial properties and attractive appearance?
Experienced housewives know how not only to harvest a wonderful harvest, but also to preserve it for the winter. Favorite pickles recipes, inherited from grandmothers, do not lose their popularity, but freezing methods are becoming more and more relevant, allowing you to maximize the beneficial qualities of products. The voluminous freezers, which have become available to the common man, help to delight the household in the winter cold with non-seasonal vegetables and fruits. Almost all products are subject to freezing, including the recently popular asparagus beans. But in order not to get a deplorable result, having wasted money, time and space in the freezer, you should know how to freeze asparagus beans for the winter.
Preparatory stage
If the asparagus beans are grown independently in the garden in the garden, you need to collect it on time. The most delicious beans are dairy beans that do not have time to overgrow. Overripe pods are tough and not suitable for freezing.
If you have purchased asparagus beans on the market, feel free to try piercing the pod with a marigold. It will be a shame to get rid of the tasteless preparation in winter.
At the preparatory stage, sort out all the pods, get rid of the spoiled ones. For the rest, trim off the ends on both sides, they are unusable and can spoil the taste of the finished dishes.
It doesn't matter in what conditions the asparagus beans were grown and stored, there are a lot of microbes on them. There is an opinion that low temperatures can destroy various bacteria, but still, "shock freezing" is not available at home, therefore freezing of asparagus beans for the winter does not completely get rid of unwanted harmful microorganisms. To cleanse the product, rinse the beans several times in running water.
If there are doubts about the origin and quality of beans, it is better to freeze the product after boiling it.
Depending on the purpose for which the beans are frozen, they can be left whole or cut into small pieces.
Freezing raw beans for the winter
It would seem, what could be easier? I poured them into bags, put them in the freezer and wait for winter to enjoy fresh beans. But there are tricks here too.
If vegetables are not dried well beforehand, they will freeze in the freezer and form a solid lump of ice. In winter, you will have to try to break off a few pods from this lump or use up the entire package at one time.
Excess moisture in frozen preparations not only takes up sufficient space, but also makes the dishes prepared from them watery and tasteless.
Take the time to leave the beans to dry before putting them in bags. To do this, you can spread it out on rag or paper towels. Alternatively, if the volume of the prepared product is small, leave it in a colander.
After drying, the beans are folded into bags and, after carefully removing all the air from it, they are tied.
If you want to be sure of the integrity of each pod, place them on cutting boards and send them to pre-freeze. Then the frozen pods are packed in bags.
Freezing boiled beans
To properly boil asparagus beans, while maintaining their flavor and useful qualities, and also not to lose its bright attractive color, proceed by adhering to the following recommendations:
- dip the prepared beans in boiling water;
- boil for no more than 3 minutes, otherwise the beans will become too soft and unsuitable for further storage;
- Catch ready-made pods or cubes carefully with a slotted spoon;
- immediately place in a container with ice water, which will not only cool the beans, but also preserve their bright color;
- keep in ice water for at least three minutes;
- Spread the finished product on towels to dry;
- arrange the beans in small bags;
- get rid of all the air, for which gently press on the bag;
- put the packed beans in the freezer for storage.
Indicate on the packages the name of the product, weight and date of packaging. This technique will make it much easier in winter to find the necessary bag.
One of the options for freezing asparagus beans at home is to prepare a vegetable mixture that will contain it.
Store frozen asparagus beans at -18 degrees. You need to use it up within a year, this product is no longer stored.
And any housewife will find the use of frozen beans. Soups, salads, vegetable stews are also good with it, and as an independent side dish, it is not inferior to other vegetables. Properly frozen beans will enrich your winter diet with vitamins and delight you with their fresh bright taste.