Are they stringless, or have they developed strings? If you want to shell them they'd be better if they ripened to totally dry seeds, unless you want green shell beans. But if they are still tender and free of strings, you can freeze them whole and just make sure to sauté them for a while when you go to cook them. Older beans are great with some onion and a bit of bacon or ham for flavoring. I put them in a pan with a little water and then allow the water to cook off and let the beans caramelize slightly in the oil, butter, or bacon fat.

You don't need to blanch string beans before freezing; you can just pop them into a freezer bag. I use the pint size because it works well as a serving for two people.

Try shelling a batch and cooking them in water with a little pork fat or olive oil. See how you like them. Most beans make decent, even excellent, shellies at that stage.

Jim

I have neglected Rattlesnake and Kentucky Wonder pole beans past tenderness of pod and with seeds that are approaching or have reached full size but far from hard yet. Can I shell them and cook them sort of as I might spring peas? (obviously cooking technique may need to vary per best flavor)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bill's Will:Misc Musings of a Techie

Here's what I did with the beans I left to dry on the vine a couple of years ago and posted to my blog. the "threshing worked well because the pods were completely dried out..

http://willyvon1-willyswill.blogspot.com/2010/11/farmer-bills-threshing-and-winnowing.html