Our runner beans are better late than never

Our runner beans are really late this year. We had only picked enough for one meal before this weekend. The last few days have been lovely and sunny and suddenly the beans have really got going.

The beans were hanging in bunches

A couple of days of pickings

The beans are prepared

The beans are cooked

I have divided the beans into three meals

We will have one portion for Sunday dinner and two portions will go into the freezer. I have tried various recommended ways of freezing runner beans. Blanching them seems to be the most popular but I never liked them after that. By trial and error I have found the way that suits me best.

I treat them the same as frozen peas. I cook the beans to just how I like to eat them. I like them soft and tender. I then cool them under cold water and divide them into portions. I then freeze them and when we want to eat them I put them in a saucepan straight from the freezer and bring them to the boil. Drain and serve just like frozen peas. To me they taste just the same as if they have just been cooked when done in this way.

I am freezing the extra two portions because there will be more to pick over the coming week and we will eat those while fresh. The good thing about runner beans is that once they get going they usually keep going until the first frost.

The courgettes and tomatoes are still abundant too and the salad leaves I recently planted are growing nicely. We are also eating the fir apple potatoes. I am digging them up one plant at a time. I recently made some potato salad from them which suits their texture really well.

This year has been as good for garden veg as last year was bad, laughable in fact! You never quite know how it’s going to go but it’s fun finding out.