Vegetables cut or chopped ahead of time lose nutrients more quickly than whole vegetables. To prepare, trim ends and snap or cut into one-inch pieces for cooking or use in salads, or leave green beans whole for dipping. Canning, freezing and drying provide your family with green beans throughout the year. One pound of fresh green beans makes five to six servings. Before freezing, green beans must be blanched to destroy enzymes that cause flavor and color changes during storage.
Green beans can be tray frozen and packaged in large freezer bags.
Beans remain loose and can be poured from the container when needed and the package reclosed. Green beans can be stored in the freezer at 0 F for about 10 months. Frozen green beans may be substituted for fresh or canned beans in most recipes. Water that has been softened may also cause canned green beans to be mushy, just as very hard water may toughen beans. Green beans are a low-acid vegetable and must be hot packed and processed in a pressure canner for safety.