Salting Runner Beans

My runner beans should be ready for harvesting very soon. Each year the surplus are frozen and each year when we go to eat them I remember how horrid frozen runners are, so watery a real mush (unlike Broad beans which freeze really well)
Anyway accroding to John Seymours wonderfull book "The Self-Sufficient Gardener" salting is the answer. Anyone do this? He says salted beans are as good as fresh (hard to believe)What container is suitable? he says a crock (unsure what that is) that is airtight.Block salt is recommended-can you still get that? Is sea salt best? Any help appreacited.

 

Cardy G. This link may be of interest .. .. seems a bit long winded, BUT if the results are as good as Mr. Kidd claims ....... Here meat and fish is salted regularly to preserve, as the salt draws out the moisture but I'm not sure that vegetables would be better salted, than freezing as above ....... I usually top and tail, blanche and then open freeze, before putting in poly bags and they are as good as the day they were prepared. M-L

[ 29. July 2006, 04:36 PM: Message edited by: Mona Lisa ]

 

Cardy Gardener, I am surprised that you find frozen runner beans unsatisfactory, how do you freeze them, are you cooking them first?

 

Cardy Gardener.We find that runner beans start going a bit horrible if they are left in the freezer for too long.
We gave up with blanching,drying,open freezing them years ago.

We used to be able to buy a small book years ago called the home and freezer digest,and one month there was an article in there about beans saying that they could be just topped,tailed and sliced before bagging and freezing them.

We tried it and have never looked back.Life is too short for that palarvar.

I thought we have got too much salt in our diet as it is without adding more,unless cooking the beans gets rid of it.

Kandy

 

Exactly Kandyfloss, that's just what we do, a neighbour of mine has been doing it that way for over 20 years.

All that salt would put you on the road to blood pressure probems I would say!

 

We gave up with blanching,drying,open freezing them years ago.Life is too short for that palarvar


Just shows how time has stood still here !