Green beans are usually kept in the refrigerator. But how long can they stay there? Is it better to cook the string beans before storing them or should they be stored raw? Here's how to best store your green beans.

Green beans spoil faster in a plastic bag

Where to Store Green Beans?

Green beans like it neither too warm nor too cold. The ideal storage temperature is around 8°C, a temperature that only prevails in the refrigerator or in very cool cellars. Therefore, green beans are best kept in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator or in the basement.

How to store green beans?

Green beans are very delicate and only keep for a few days. Therefore, many come up with the idea of cooking the green beans for storage. However, cooked green beans are even less storable than fresh beans. Therefore, cooked beans are better to freeze for storage.

The most important things about storing cut beans at a glance

  • Store green beans raw, do not cook
  • Clean thoroughly before storing, but do not wash
  • Remove green beans from plastic containers
  • Wrap the beans in a damp cloth
  • Store in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator

How long can you store green beans?

Even under the best conditions, green beans only keep for a few days. Of course, that also depends on how fresh the beans are. While freshly harvested haricot beans can last up to a week in the fridge, store-bought green beans shouldn't be stored for longer than four days.

Preserve green beans

If you want to keep your cut beans longer, you should preserve them. If stored correctly (cool and dry), the beans can often be kept for up to a year. The different options for this:

Freeze

The beans are washed, blanched and then frozen in airtight containers.
Shelf life: at least 6 months

boil down

The beans are cooked with spices and sealed in airtight jars
Shelf life: at least one year

dry

Yes, green beans can also be dried. Then they call themselves dried beans. You can air dry them, or dry them in a food dehydrator or oven.
Shelf life: up to a year

tips

Cooked beans should not be kept in the fridge for more than a day. It is therefore best to freeze them as soon as possible if you do not eat them on the same day.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

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Vegetable garden