Salting runner beans is the traditional method of preservation for this staple crop from the legume bed. Although this process is uncommon these days, it still has its merits to those of us who grow more runner beans that we wish to consume over the summer months. It’s not particularly time consuming, and it allows us to preserve our produce without taking up valuable freezer space. Read on to learn how to salt runner beans.

1. Sterilise a large jar and lid, then add some salt to create a thin layer about 5mm (0.2 in) thick.

2. Chop some runner beans as if you were going to cook them, and then add them to the jar on top of the layer of salt. Press them down quite firmly so that the next layer, which will be salt, will mostly sit on the runner beans, rather than fall through.

Add a layer of chopped runner beans

3. Add another layer of salt.

Add another layer of salt.

4. Add another layer of runner beans, followed by another of salt. Continue this process until the jar is filled. The final layer should be a layer of salt. If you don’t have enough beans ready, you can leave space at the top and add more beans to it when they are ready. Seal with a lid and store in a cool dry place.

It’s as simple as that. Although ideally you’d want the runner beans to be packed tight enough that little of the salt will fall through, it doesn’t matter too much. The reason for this is, and this is the magic part of this method of preservation, the salt will draw the moisture out of the runner beans. This moisture will then mix with the salt to form a brine.

So a jar of layered salt and runner beans will transform from this:

Layers of chopped runner beans separated by layers of salt.

Into this, just 24 hours later:

Salted runner beans in their own brine

Isn’t that beautiful? When the time comes to use the beans, remove the required chopped runner beans from the jar and rinse. Leave the beans to soak for a couple of hours in some fresh water. Then cook as usual. So that’s how to salt runner beans. A fairly hassle free way of preserving your produce, and an interesting talking point at the allotment, or even better still, over dinner.

Related Posts

If you found this post useful you may also be interested in our other posts on the subject of preserving runner beans:

How to Freeze Runner Beans

How to Pickle Runner Beans