Where are the Sliced Frozen green beans?

Fresh string beans and many other fresh vegetables and fully stocked freezers at Lidl. They had cornflour too because I bought some!

There are fresh stringless beans in Sainsbury’s, Aldi’s and M & S Foodhalls.

Years ago I picked runner beans twice a week at the garden where I worked in the holidays. If I picked too small I got told off for picking the profits! Larger ones were preferred. I don’t like them tough and stringy so I rarely buy supermarket ones and prefer those we grow ourselves.

I only eat runner beans when I have grown them myself and eat them with in half an hour or so of picking.

Prices shoot through the roof and products disappear off shelves… my shopping experience is certainly not what it was..

There have been lots of runner beans in supermarkets this year but they are often large and so tend to be tough. I like to take them off at an earlier stage.

I love runner beans, preferably fresh, but haven’t had any of those for ages - not U.K. grown anyway - I don’t buy imported. Frozen are 2nd best but haven’t seen any of those for quite a while, either. Prefer them any day to whole French beans.

PS. As a foodie, I have noticed green beans used more sparingly in side dishes these days rather than as a vegetable on the main plate.

It's to do with the growing conditions this year, I believe. We spent early summer in Cornwall and visited vegetable farms where they grow asparagus, green beans etc. They explained they were very worried as crops like asparagus and green beans will fail due to lack of rain. Even irrigation technology does not help.

We didn’t plant runner beans this year because we have a lot in the freezer from previous year. French beans this year were very poor, however most other veg and fruit did very well, probably the best year ever and the freezer is full.

I grew a purple podded French bean this year and it yielded very well, but gave up on the runners. Would someone tell me what is the point of growing purple podded beans which go green when they are steamed (DD gave me the seeds and she knows nothing about gardening!)? They are not exactly ornamental so why bother to breed them with purple pods? Just getting that off my chest!😬

I have two big gooseberry bushes kircubbin I don’t like them at all but keep growing them as my friends do like them so I can give them all away
I think it may depend where you live as regards the beans as I had way more on each plant than I could manage even giving them away and my next door allotment neighbour had a mass of them too These were runners by the way not broad beans
Is that what you call green beans cos they re all green 😂

I agree with Prentice. I haven't bought them for years as no one is keen.

Alternatively I should imagine it's Brexit.

So many foodstuffs seem to be missing from the supermarkets these days, basic things too.

I haven't seen gooseberries for years.

We had a green bean shortage here a few months ago and the price went up to ridiculous levels. There were no frozen ones, either. I think maybe it was the floods but then other green veggies were around. They are back to normal now.

I did read somewhere that it was a poor year for runner beans.
Some varieties are hardier than others.
I do wonder too if they are as popular now as they used to be?
Supermarkets sell more and more unusual frozen veg products,that there may not be a big market for them.
None of my family like them.

JaneJudge, thanks, but there is not an Iceland near to us.

We do, on the other hand, have a Sainsbury's that is not too far, so thanks JaxJacky.

Hoardes not hoarded

For most of us our beans were well watered, but got no further. so pickers were probably not needed.

We were late with our runner beans so none early summer but hoarded over the past couple of months. I have sliced and frozen some but I never find them so nice. I can remember my dad salting them down in a big jar for the winter months.

Maybe they were short of staff to plant them water them and pick them?

I agree with posters who wondered if it was the very hot weather which affected runner beans BUT I had a very good late crop in September/October in W. London. Maybe the commercial growers just cut their losses and took them out?

I agree, dreadful year for beans. I planted runner beans three times and they never even germinated.

Where I live blackcurrants were growing wild and delicious.