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Beans can be left to dry on the vine past maturity. After the pods are dry, shell them. Dry the beans on cookie sheets for several days. Place the beans in airtight containers and store in a dry place. These beans may be used as regular dried beans in soups and casseroles.

Can’t preserve right away? Do not wash beans. Store by one of the methods suggested in chapter 3.

Freezing Unblanched Whole or Julienne Beans

Best and quickest method

Trim ends of beans.

Wash, drain, pat thoroughly dry. Julienne, if desired.

Pack in gallon-size freezer bags. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.

Note: Unblanched beans will retain good quality for 6 months.

trim bean ends

drain on towel

pack in freezer bags

tip Another excellent way to preserve beans is to pickle them. You’ll find a recipe for Dilly Beans on page 146.

cooking tip Frozen beans should be cooked by steaming or stir-frying for best flavor and texture, or cooked in the boilable bag for 18 to 20 minutes. The less contact beans have with water during freezing and cooking, the better flavor and texture they will have.

Freezing in Boilable Bags

Begin heating water for blanching. To prepare the beans, trim the ends. Wash, drain, pat dry. Pack in boilable bags. Add butter and seasonings, if desired. Press out air. Seal bags.

Blanch bags, four at a time, in boiling water: 6 minutes for young beans, up to 8 minutes for old beans.

Cool. Pat bags dry. Freeze.

Freezing the Standard Way

Trim the ends from the beans. Begin heating water for blanching. Wash the beans, drain.

Steam-blanch, 1 pound at a time: 4½ minutes for young beans, 6 minutes for old beans.

Cool in ice water. Drain. Pack. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.

BEETS

BEETS SHOULD BE LEFT IN THE GARDEN UNTIL LATE FALL. A few frosts will not harm them. Dig beets on a sunny day. Cut the tops off, leaving an inch of stem. Do not cut off roots. Let the beets lie on the ground until the following day. Beets stored in a root cellar will remain fresh and taste sweet well into late spring.

tip Beets are good candidates for pickling. You’ll find a recipe on page 147.

brush soil off roots

layer beets in box

cover with sawdust

Storing in a Root Cellar

Best and quickest method

Brush off the excess soil on the roots, but do not wash. Place a large plastic bag in a cardboard box; add 2 to 4 inches of fresh sawdust (2 inches for storage areas that will remain above freezing).

Add a single layer of beets, leaving a 2-inch space all around the side of the layer to be filled with sawdust. Cover with a 1-inch layer of sawdust. Continue to layer the beets until the box is full. Finish with a 2- to 4-inch layer of sawdust.

Fold over the top of the bag and close the box. Store in the coldest part of the root cellar or in an unheated area, such as a garage.

tip One method of peeling beets is to cut the tops from beets, leaving 2 inches of stem to prevent bleeding. Do not cut the roots off. Scrub thoroughly. Place in a large kettle. Cover with hot tap water. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 to 20 minutes for canned beets, or until tender for frozen beets. Slip off skins. The disadvantage of this method is that the beets should all be the same size; otherwise, smaller beets will over cook and get mushy before larger ones are cooked. This problem does not happen when beets are baked in the oven; beets of several sizes may be baked together and none overcook.

Freezing Slices in Boilable Bags

Cut tops and roots off close to the beet. Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrub beets thoroughly. Place on a rack in a large roaster. Cover.

Bake until tender (approximately 1 hour for 2½- to 3-inch beets).

Fill the roaster with cold water to cool beets. Slip off skins.

Slice beets. Pack in boilable freezer bags. Add butter and seasoning, if desired. Press out air. Seal.

Cool in ice water. Wipe dry. Freeze.

BROCCOLI

HARVEST BROCCOLI WHEN THE HEAD STOPS GROWING but before the individual clusters start to spread out. Second