Can you freeze yellow wax beans? How to do it right!

Yellow wax beans are very nutritious high protein vegetables. When the season is right, there is plenty available in the garden or the stores. The best way to keep them fresh is to store them right after harvest or to buy them fresh and store them for winter. When you have a lot on hand, can you freeze yellow wax bean?

The answer is yes; you can freeze yellow wax beans. Freezing them is the best option for storing yellow wax beans. You could also put them in brine or dehydrate them, but freezing them is the best way. Frozen yellow wax beans can be used in a variety of winter soups, salads, or sauces or stir-fries, allowing you a variety of healthy choices.

Can You Freeze yellow wax beans – Yes, And Here’s How to Do It

Storing yellow wax beans in the freezer allows you to buy it and keep it at its best for longer. The yellow wax beans seen in stores are not always fresh, so instead of buying older yellow wax beans, it is much easier to purchase yellow wax beans or green beans when fresh and freeze it to keep it fresh. You can also freeze leftover cooked yellow wax beans easily without its texture being affected.

Yellow wax beans are nutritious and budget-friendly, and whether you use it fresh or frozen adds texture and flavor to stews, soups, salads, stir-fries, and more. After boiling yellow wax beans, sautéing yellow wax beans is a great way to let its flavors shine through. All you need to do is add yellow wax beans or green beans and seasoning to a frying pan with some oil and gently sauté it for a few minutes with some cracklings or finely chopped garlic. If you add a little finely chopped parsley and spread some freshly grated cheese to the yellow wax beans, it will give you a rich side dish that will complement many recipes.

Can you freeze yellow wax beans without blanching them?

Yes, you can freeze yellow wax beans or string beans or snap beans or green beans without blanching them. Freezing raw or unblanched yellow wax beans or other stated beans is relatively simple. First, snap off the ends of a bean. When you snap the ends, pull towards the pod, which will help you remove strings. 

Freezing food is a perfect way to keep it fresh. Check out also how to freeze sardines, parsley, or ginger garlic paste.

Then wash and drain the pods. Package them in plastic bags and put them directly into the freezer. You can store yellow wax beans without blanching them for 8 months year. It is best to place a label with a date on storage bags, so you will easily see when 8 months are gone.

One of the most known methods before freezing yellow wax beans is blanching. You can freeze yellow wax beans without any problems, but be aware that if you blanch yellow wax beans, they will freeze better and keep longer in the freezer than raw yellow wax beans.

Any type of beans, yellow wax beans, green beans, or string beans may last for as long as 5 days in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. Even if you are freezing your yellow wax beans or other snap, green or string beans, do store them in the fridge until you are ready to freeze it.

Yellow wax beans should be stored in the refrigerator unwashed. Also, do not snap off the ends or do not remove the strings. If you do snap of the ends or remove the strings, yellow wax beans will get the brownish color where the ends and strings were attached. Keep them in the refrigerator for a maximum of two days if ends were snapped off and strings removed.

So, what to do with excess yellow wax beans or green beans? Yellow wax beans, which have already been cooked, will keep for around four days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. They can also be frozen ready-cooked, although they will lose some of its texture and flavor.

Personally, I always freeze raw yellow wax beans and other vegetables. The reason is that our family usually consumes all frozen goodies in a month or two.

What Do You Need to Know Before Freezing raw unblanched yellow wax beans or blanched yellow wax beans?

Blanched or part-cooked yellow wax beans or green beans will keep its quality for as long one year in the freezer. If you are lucky enough to have a vacuum sealer, it can keep for over 12 months. As with other frozen vegetables and meat, its texture can be affected slightly.

Yellow wax beans are best frozen when they are bleached rather than leaving them raw.

Like other vegetables and fruits, yellow wax beans contain enzymes and bacteria and other microorganisms, which over time, begin to break down the yellow wax beans, altering its flavor, color and texture. When yellow wax beans are blanched, either by water, steam, or microwave, this part-cooking process stops the enzymes’ action and kills microorganisms.

Blanched yellow wax beans will freeze better and keep longer in the freezer than raw yellow wax beans.  The process of blanching yellow wax beans is very simple. Start with snaping the ends of off yellow beans and pull out the strings that are a nuisance if you forget to remove them. Then cut them into thirds and wash them thoroughly with cold water.

Boil a large pot of water, insert a sift if you have it, or just use a slotted skimmer for getting the beans out of the boiling water.

Then drop a handful of yellow wax beans into boiling water and leave them to boil for 3 minutes. Work in batches, because if you put too many beans at once, the water will stop boiling, and you won’t get a proper blanching effect.

After 3 minutes, take the yellow wax beans out of boiling water and cool them down immediately. Use a large pot full of ice or just run cold water over them until they are completely cold.

How to Defrost yellow wax beans

Yellow wax beans or other snap, string or green beans, do not need to be defrosted before use. If you defrost yellow wax beans, they will lose some texture. To defrost them, put frozen yellow wax beans out of a bag and in a sift. Putting them in a sift will ensure the excess water to run through. If you don’t put them in a sift, they will be soggier after they defrost.

But as mentioned before, yellow wax beans have a better texture if you don’t defrost them. Simply take a frozen bean out of the freezer and throw them directly into your hot dish. 

What to do with excess yellow wax beans or green beans

The best way to store yellow beans is to freeze them. But pickling or dehydrating yellow wax beans is also a great way to store them.

To make pickled yellow wax beans, simply prepare a brine with vinegar and spices. Bring it to a boil. Put washed yellow wax beans into a mason jar and pour hot brine over, so the beans are completely covered in brine. Cool them down and store them in a dark and cold place.

Dehydration yellow wax beans are also a great way to enjoy a healthy snack. Before dehydrating, first, wash and blanch the yellow beans. When blanched, place them in a dehydrator tray. Be careful, so they don’t overlap. Dehydrate the yellow wax beans for 6-8hours at 125°F and 135°F. When don, store them in an airtight container or even better, in a vacuum-sealed bag.

Summary

In summary, yes, you can freeze yellow wax beans and freezing them is easy to do but is best done after they have been blanched, as this helps stop it degrading as much in the freezer. Once you take it out of the freezer, yellow snap beans can be used for soups and sauces, or you can just put frozen yellow wax beans straight to your saute or stir fry.

You can also freeze leftover cooked yellow wax beans, but this is more prone to losing texture and will not keep in the freezer as long as blanched yellow wax beans will.

Sources:

Can you freeze yellow or green wax beans https://tinyurl.com/y3x7j3mq
How to freeze: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/bean_green.html

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