Got fresh lima beans on-hand that you want to freeze for later use? If so, you need to blanch them before freezing them. Blanching helps to preserve their flavor, retain their nutrients, color and can kill off any bacteria or germs. Blanching is a simple process that only takes a few minutes to complete.
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Wash lima beans under cool water to remove dirt and debris. Remove them from their shells and place the beans into a colander. Rinse them again with cool water. Let the excess water drip out of the colander while you prepare for the blanching step.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil on your stove top. Place the lima beans into the boiling water for 3 minutes. You need to time this…as you don’t want to over-cook the beans!!! Turn off the heat. Immediately transfer the beans back to the colander with the cold water running out of your kitchen faucet at full blast. You need to stop the cooking process by immediately cooling them down. If you have a lot of beans…toss a few ice cubes on top.
Lay a piece of parchment paper down onto a baking sheet. Lay the cooled beans on top. Blot with a cotton towel to remove any excess moisture. They should be covering the baking sheet in a single layer. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours. Remove. Place the partially frozen lime beans in freezer storage bags or in freezer safe storage containers. I like to use freezer bags which helps me to save on freezer space. Label and freeze.
** By partially freezing on the baking sheet helps to reduce clumping or big piles of beans from freezing together.
** When you’re ready to cook the lima beans…they can be cooked straight from the bag while still frozen.
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