Get More Green Beans In

Folks,

Now is the time to get another crop of green beans into the ground. The current long term forecasts for most of the United States will allow another round of green bean planting. However, you need to get it done quick.

When looking for sytles of green beans, look for the varieties with shorter growing times. From my home in the Ozarks, we have approx 12 weeks until the average first frost. That is, then, the time frame we have to get the green beans finished.

As crops come in, try freezing them for a winter treet. Pick your green beans, remove the tip ends, and snap your beans into 2 or 3 segments. If you have any blemishes, take them out. Blanch your green beans for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drop them into an ice bath. This stops the "cooking" process.

Once your green beans have cooled, place them in freezer style baggies. I use an 8 cup measuring device, so I can divide my beans into 2 bags. You want to use quart bags. One bag will be equivalent to putting 2 cans of green beans on your table.

For those who plan ahead, plan on 52 bags for a family of 4 to have green beans once a week all year. You can thank my dad for that handy bit of info. I can still remember canning green beans to this level every summer.

slainte,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden

Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of The Celtic Ozarkian, a website dedicated to life in the Ozarks. Ray is also a freelance writer on religion, gardening, and travel. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com, or @celticozarkian on Twitter.

How To Know When to Pick Green Beans

My first batch of green beans for the year are almost ready to pick. It is one of my favorite vegetables to plant in the Celtic Ozark Garden. My family loves them also. It also happens to be very easy to grow green beans.

One of the questions I am frequently asked is, "how do you know when to start expecting green beans to pick?" So, I decided to shoot a video this month of the subject. Enjoy!