In article , VivienB
writes

I froze my own French beans last year, like Alan without blanching. I
am not entirely happy with the results, though. The flavour and colour
are not quite right, to my taste. However, the quantities I was
picking from just two 'wigwams' were such that I doubt if I would have
time to blanch more than a smallish proportion.

We have not blanched French beans for over 30 years. Commercial
processors are obliged to blanch by law for good reasons of health and
food safety, but if the right care is taken it is not essential for home
produce. We select only the best young pods for freezing, damaged or
older ones are cooked fresh. The absence of chemicals is probably also a
factor in maintaining high quality, but most importantly we do not allow
deterioration by delaying freezing after picking.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.