What do you do when runner beans and French beans are producing faster than you can eat them?

Beans are one of the most generous crops in the summer garden — and one of the most likely to produce a glut. A row of six runner bean plants in full production can generate five to eight kilograms of beans per week. Leaving any on the plant past eating size signals the plant to slow down and set seed, which reduces future cropping — so the pressure to pick continually is real. The solution is to have your preserving strategy established before the harvest peaks, not halfway through it.

The good news is that beans preserve extremely well by multiple methods. Freezing is the standard choice, but salt-preserving, pickling, and drying for dried beans are all viable options depending on variety and intended use.

Freezing runner beans and French beans

Freezing is the fastest and most volume-efficient method for most bean gluts. Top, tail, and string runner beans, then slice diagonally into 3–4cm pieces. French beans can be frozen whole or cut. Blanch in rapidly boiling water — two minutes for runner beans, three minutes for French beans — then immediately transfer to ice water. Drain and dry thoroughly before spreading on trays to flash-freeze. Transfer to labelled bags once solid. Blanched and frozen beans keep well for ten to twelve months and cook from frozen directly into boiling water in two to three minutes.

Salt-preserving runner beans — the traditional method

Before freezers were common, salt-packing was the standard method for storing a runner bean surplus. Slice beans diagonally and layer with coarse non-iodised salt in a wide-necked jar — roughly 100g salt per 500g beans — pressing down firmly between layers. The beans release moisture, dissolving the salt into a brine that preserves them below. Seal and store in a cool place for up to twelve months. Before using, rinse thoroughly and soak in fresh water for two hours, changing the water once, to remove most of the salt. The texture after soaking and cooking is remarkably close to fresh beans.

Broad beans — a different approach

Broad beans freeze very well when young and tender — pop the beans from their pods, blanch for two minutes, cool in ice water, and freeze. Older broad beans with tough skins are better double-podded (skins removed after blanching to reveal the bright green inner bean) before freezing. A large broad bean crop can also be left to fully mature and dry on the plant — the resulting dried beans store for years in an airtight container and cook in the same way as any dried bean from a packet, making an excellent store-cupboard ingredient through winter.

Pickling French beans

Small, whole French beans pickle beautifully — a classic American style called dilly beans. Pack whole blanched beans upright into sterilised jars with dill, garlic, and a dried chilli, then cover with a hot brine of equal parts cider vinegar and water with salt and a little sugar. Process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes for a shelf-stable pickle, or seal and refrigerate for a quick pickle ready in two days. Pickled French beans keep refrigerated for two to three weeks, or shelf-stable for twelve months. They're excellent alongside cold meats, in salads, and as a snack.

Preventing a bean glut in future

Pick beans every two to three days at maximum — daily in hot weather. Any bean left to mature signals the plant that seed production is complete and productivity drops sharply. If you're away for a week in summer, designate someone to pick the beans even if they don't want to eat them. A week's accumulation of over-mature beans is worse for the crop's total productivity than picking and composting them.