Swimming in Green Beans and Eggs

The title of this post says it all.  Green beans are pouring in from the garden and eggs are pouring in from the hen house- so fast I can barely keep up with either of them.

We've been eating green beans for supper every night (on the side) and the rest are chilling out in the freezer.  The eggs are filling up our fridge, laughing at me every time I open the door, saying, "Ha!  And you thought you'd found enough people to buy us."  For the first time, I am attempting to freeze eggs.  I've been told it can be done and that not only can they be thawed and used for baking, but also for omelets, scrambled, fried, you name it.  I'm using my trusty ice cube trays and will pop them out and into bags once they're frozen.

Last winter our hens slowed down to the point that we actually had to buy a couple dozen eggs.  That seems ludicrous to me in light of our surplus.  The frozen eggs will be saved in case we have another sparse winter egg-laying-wise.  Tell me.  Have you tried this?  Please tell me it worked splendidly.  Okay.  You can tell me if it didn't, too.

Freezing Green Beans

Rinse your beans well.  Snap (with your finger) or trim off (with a knife) the end of the bean that was attached to the plant.  It's your choice if you want to leave the little tail on at the other end or not.  We leave ours on.  Now you have another choice.  You can leave your beans whole, or you can cut them or french them.

I remember helping my mom use a green bean frencher/slicer.  It was a little contraption that attached to your counter top.  You fed the green beans through (a few at a time) while turning a crank.  The frencher cut your beans long-ways, so you had bean strands coming out the other end.

We cut our beans.  They're just easier to eat this way and also easier to pack into bags.  Leaving them whole looks elegant, but with little kids, the less cutting of food you have to do at the dinner table, the better.

Once you have your beans trimmed and how you want them, set a large pot of water to boil on your stove.  There should be enough water to completely cover the beans.  Bring it to a full boil, then add your beans.  Blanch them (leave them in the boiling water) for 4 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon or sieve (if you don't have a pot colander) remove the beans and place them directly into a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes.  You can save your hot water and re-use it several times before getting fresh.  The rule of thumb is to leave the green beans in the cold water for as long as they were in the hot.  When they've cooled down, drain them well and transfer them to freezer bags.  We like quart size.

The next step is crucial.  Take your sweaty self outside and sit down in your children's kiddie pool.  The neighbors might wonder about you, but you know what?  They probably already do.

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