Some mistresses unknowingly believe that asparagus beans and asparagus are one and the same plant.
In fact, asparagus beans are called ordinary vegetable beans in unripe form. Because its long green pods during this period are similar to green shoots of asparagus.
Asparag bean contains the body's essential amino acids, starch, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B9 and other beneficial substances.
Green beans are recommended to include in the diet of people suffering from diabetes, due to the presence in its composition of glucokinin - a substance similar in composition to insulin.
Blades of sugar bean varieties are soft, delicate, have excellent taste. They are boiled for a side dish, added to soup, stews, salads.
When to harvest the asparagus beans
Harvesting green beans begins in late July - early August.
The beans are harvested quickly, so the harvest of the pods is removed every other day, until they turn yellow and lose their softness. In overripe asparagus bean, the valves in the places where the seeds are located inside are bulged out.
From the stalks they remove the scapulae, which have reached a length of 12-15 cm, through which the seeds do not shine through. At this time, the pods are still very soft and easily broken in half. They still have no fibers, and the grains themselves are small and soft - milky ripeness, so the sash is easily pierced even with a fingernail.
How to store asparagus beans
Asparagus beans are not subject to long storage. Usually it is disrupted in order to immediately eat or procure for future use.
Fresh asparagus beans can be stored for 2-3 days, maximum - a week. Then she begins to lose moisture, turn yellow, becomes hard.
Optimal storage conditions for green beans can provide a refrigerator, if it maintains an air temperature of about + 2 ° and air humidity of 80-90%. Dry shovels put in a vegetable box, cover them with plastic wrap and clean in the refrigerator.
Bean pods can be stored for 2-3 days in a cold cellar. To do this, the blades are laid out on a clean cloth in an even layer.
For long-term storage asparagus beans are subjected to freezing.
How to freeze asparagus beans
- Wash the pods of asparagus beans in cold water, let them dry, laying them on a towel.
- Cut the tips off on both sides. Then cut into pieces of equal length.
- Fold into a dipper and dip into boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
- Put the blanched beans on a towel, cool, dry.
- Fold into portioned bags, removing as much air as possible. You can also use plastic containers with a lid.
- Put it in the freezer. In this state, the asparagus beans can be stored for six months or even longer.
Mistress to note
- Since any frozen product after defrosting cannot be re-frozen, fold the bean pods into small sachets so that one serving is enough to cook one dish.
- You can freeze fresh beans. To do this, wash the pods, dry well. Trim the tips. Cut the blades into pieces that are comfortable for future use. Packaged in sachets. Freeze.
- A small amount of asparagus beans can be frozen as a vegetable mix. To do this, cut the prepared vegetables into equal pieces, mix and arrange into portioned sachets. Freeze.
- If you are going to buy asparagus beans on the market, then choose only green pods. They should be elastic, not lethargic. But at the same time, the dense grains should not be felt under the flaps, since in the green beans these grains are still unripe, very soft and juicy.
- If you have little space in the freezer, you can preserve the asparagus beans the same way as cucumbers or tomatoes. For the marinade in 1 liter of water, take 2 tbsp. l salt, 2 tbsp. l sugar and 1 tsp. acetic acid on a two-liter jar. Choose spices to taste.
