Broad beans only last a few days in the fridge. It is therefore necessary with a plentiful broad bean harvest to preserve the broad beans. Below you will find out how to freeze broad beans and what other options there are for preserving them.

Before freezing, the broad beans are briefly blanched

Harvest and peel broad beans

The harvest time of broad beans begins about 12 weeks after sowing. The broad beans are not all harvested at once, as they gradually ripen. Therefore, the harvest period usually lasts two months. Broad beans are usually harvested when they are large and plump. The tough pods are then no longer edible and must therefore be removed. This process is called puling. The broad beans in the green pods are still green and crispy fresh. They should be processed as soon as possible.

Freeze broad beans

If you are harvesting a large number of broad beans, it is advisable to freeze them for the winter. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Wash your broad beans under running water.
  2. Bring salted water to a boil in a large enough pot.
  3. When the water boils, add the peeled and washed broad beans to the water.
  4. Let the broad beans cook in the boiling water for two minutes.
  5. Then drain the broad beans and rinse them with cold water.
  6. Let the broad beans cool down.
  7. Place the broad beans in freezer bags or containers. Mark the freeze date on the bag or container.

The frozen broad beans can be kept for a maximum of 12 months.

Alternatives to freezing

If your freezer is already full, there are other ways to preserve your broad beans.

Boil broad beans

Broad beans are simply boiled soft in salt water to preserve them. Fill the still boiling hot broad beans into preserving jars that have been boiled beforehand and close the jars tightly. Before canning, you can of course refine the broad beans with spices such as onions, herbs or similar.

Dry broad beans

Dried broad beans can be kept for up to a year, often even longer. The dried beans look pretty and have a very good aroma and crunchy texture after cooking. If you want to dry your broad beans, it is best to let them ripen on the plant. This means they simply leave the broad beans in the pods hanging on the plant until the pods are completely dry and the seeds rattle in the shell.

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