Ok, so I have just a very small handful of green beans that were ready to pick. Is there a way to save them (freeze them maybe) until I have enough to actually do something with?

How do you cook them? or what do you do with yours?

then freeze them! We do it all the time.

Being in KY, I cook them like my dh grew up....a bit of water at the bottom of a cooking pot, add greenbeans and bacon bits (my inlaws use a big scoop of lard and then bacon strips...bleck!). Cook covered for a few hours, checking to be sure that there's always water in there.

OR you could steam them or use a pressure cooker to cook them. They do take quite a while to cook down to where they are somewhat al dente or soft and not quite raw.

HTH!

PS- you can also can them to use all year round!

green beans really dont freeze that well.They get mushy. we typically can them in a water bath, but i doubt you want to can just a couple. they are usually pickable every day or at least every other day in the height of their season, so it shouldnt be too long before you have more ready to eat. we have been eating green beans and new potatoes until they are coming out our ears, lol. Now the corn is starting to come in, along with the green pepper and eggplant. The butter beans are getting close to being ready-- it has just rained so much that the beans are being slow to form. The peas are loaded in blooms, and baby beans, but nowhere close to being ready. Cucumber are the same. Tomatoes need some sun to help them ripen, but they are loaded. Squash are also coming in steadily. I hope you are enjoying your garden :)
heather

Please, please, do not can beans in a boiling water bath! it's okay to do if they are pickled, but otherwise beans need to be pressure canned to kill possible botulism spores.

As for what to do with a few beans, I would eat them raw as soon as I picked them.