Putting By

Many years ago my parents gifted us with an upright freezer. This freezer has now moved with us through four houses. It's been in two mudrooms, one basement and even our detached garage! I'm very thankful for this extra space for food storage.

Even though our new house is only across town from our old house we are having to rethink our shopping choices. The other day I went to the Grocery Outlet to see what kind of food and discounts could be found. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting them to have as much fresh food as was on display. I bought a large bag of fresh green beans. They ended up sitting in my refrigerator for a few days and so I decided to freeze them. Growing up, my mother always blanched her vegetables before freezing. A few years ago I heard an episode of NPR's The Splendid Table discuss the fact that green beans can be frozen raw. 

This was a revelation to me.

So, since that time, I've frozen my green beans raw and they have always been fine. I just chop off the ends, cut them in two and throw them in a plastic container. I generally use them within six months. When I cook them, I just put them in simmering water, let the water boil down and then add some oil and spices and saute' them until they are soft but crisp. 

In my neck of the woods we have the funny way of saying 'putting up' or 'putting by' when referring to storing food from the garden for the winter. No matter what you call it, having fresh food stored at home is the best kind of convenience food there is!