Consider the Bean . . .

I had plenty of time to consider the bean as I sat on the porch, snapping off the little winged stem ends . . .

These purple beans are green inside -- and will turn green as they cook.

We had some for dinner -- sauteed in olive oil with red peppers, purple onion, garlic, and thyme (and what a difference thyme makes to a humble bean!) -- but the rest were destined for the freezer.

It's been a routine for the past thirty eight years -- blanch for 3 minutes . . .

Plunge into cold water to cool before bagging . . .

But there's a new element to the routine! I've always stuck the beans into plastic freezer bags -- sealed with a twist tie or a zipper lock. But John sent off for this device that . . .

 (drum roll)  . . .

Vacuum  seals!!!

I am the world's most skeptical about new kitchen devices  -- partly because of the lack of counter space in our kitchen and partly because of . . . I don't know, maybe just natural orneriness. But I have to admit that this gizmo works like a charm.

By excluding all the air, supposedly the freezer life of various foods is doubled or tripled. The picture below shows the ice that has formed on pepper rings put up last year. That shouldn't happen with the vacuum seal.

The literature that accompanied the device shows special jars and boxes and an attachment to vacuum seal them. One can, it says, seal all sorts of non-food stuff to protect it from oxidation, corrosion, and moisture -- silverware, matches, clothing, batteries . . .

And my imagination takes off -- picturing a thrifty homemaker, vacuum sealing her way through the house till everything is securely encased in airtight plastic, to preserve it . . .

She looks around . . . and notices that her beloved husband is really showing signs of aging . . .

I wonder, she muses, and reaches for the roll of plastic.