[wighty]

We are in the process of blanching a load of runners picked from PIL garden today,  I've never had a problem with blanching, freezing and then eating them.  Prefer French beans though but ours this year were absolutely pathetic.

[Steveharford]

Well worth it Mrs Bee. In fact, having just washed and bagged up some more damsons I have picked half a basket of runners and noticed that mine are slowing down too. I was picking well into October last year but I cant see it happening this. In line with all my other produce this year. Anyway I was about to salt some more beans and found that I hadnt any sweet jars left. One is still half full of last years beans. I can feel a big order of pear drops coming on !

[heygrow]

Steve, Don't know how you managed to cover each layer with salt completely. When I put the beans in I did not line them all up neatly, but they lay across each other to some degree. Therefore the salt tended to fall through the gaps a fair bit. I got quite a lot of salt in there. Anyway I'll just have to see how they get on. It's a bit of an experiment with one jar for now.

[Steveharford]

ah now I do. Once sliced With a bean slicer I simply lie them
on the board all in the same direction and cut across the whole bunch. I can then pick them up in bundles place them in the jar directly on top of each other.   If there is a gap at the end I then put a few crossways to fill the gap. ( hope Im making sense here!). That way there is very little space between them.  Im sure yours will be ok its just thats the way I have always done them. You will probably find that the water in the bottom will disappear once they have settled in.

[Steveharford]

Also dont be afraid of putting too much salt in as it will fill any air voids. If you like I will take a pic of mine to give you an idea.

[Mrs Bee]

Also dont be afraid of putting too much salt in as it will fill any air voids. If you like I will take a pic of mine to give you an idea.

Yes please.
Do you use the fine kitchen salt or the granular sea salt?

[Steveharford]

I just use the cheapest I can find. most if not all if it will be swilled out when preparing them to eat anyway. In fact I have often flushed mine so much I have added back salt to taste.

[Steveharford]

Here we are. Just taken polythene off and there is a little water at the top.I might need to add more salt at some stage but anyway thats what mine look like 

[Mrs Bee]

Thanks for that Steve.

May try that if there are any runner beans still left when we get back from hols.

[tosca100]

Just used some frozen, un-blanched runners in some veg soup and they were nice. Only been in the freezer a month so they may toughen up. I will be happy if they stay the way they are, surprisingly acceptable if the only alternative is cabbage and more cabbage in winter.