[RebeccaM]

Hi,  I have just picked all my broad beans and was wondering if I can freeze them. Last year I took them all out of their pods and blanched them,or so I thought I had but must have done it wrong as after a few days in the freezer they all went brown and had to be chucked

I really don't want to end up having to chuck them all agian so can anyone tell me if they just pod them and freeze them or do you have to blanch them first, if so how do I blanch ?  I think last time I might have left them in the water to long 

[Beetroot queen]

I freeze mine straight from pod, dont bother doing anything else and they work fine

Probably not the correct way 

[slowcompost]

I pod them put a dish full in the microwave for 2 minutes then freeze on plates, when frozen they come off the plates easy with a knife  and into the the bag.
OK to eat up to 12 months later.

[corndolly]

I blanch first by using a large pan of boiling water , drop beans in and leave to come back to boil and about 3 mins in total ,beans are then plunged into very cold water , then I spread them on a clean towel to drain before putting into bags in portion sizes.
If the beans are large some people remove the skin on them before freezing.

[madcat]

I do them like corn dolly and find the tricks are getting the pan up to the boil fast once the beans go in (use a big pan of water then it doesn't cool down too much) and getting them chilled again fast enough so they don't continue cooking in their own heat once blanched.  I often float the ice blocks that are used to keep coolers cold in the water to keep it as cold as possible.  Open freeze for free flow if you dont know how big pack you will need or prepack in portion packs for speed.

[Comfortably Numb]

I freeze mine straight from pod, dont bother doing anything else and they work fine

Probably not the correct way 

Works for us too 

[greenun]

put 'em in an icecream container, put the lid on and freeze. Last 12 months easy.

[pigeonpie]

I just lob them in a large freezer bag and bung them in the freezer.  I think the trick is to not let them dry out as they freeze by making sure they're in a sealed bag or container.
When I cook them I always put them in boiling water, they don't take long but still taste amazingly fresh.  I also think the key is to freeze them as fast as possible after picking so I really do pick, pod and freeze within an hour or so max.

[arugula]

When not picking for use straight away, I have been podding and blancing them, then tray freezing them skins on and bagging those once the beans are individually frozen. I wondered if anyone had experience of or opinions on drying as an alternative?