green beans-how long after picking do they have to be canned?

Good afternoon. First time poster, but have been reading posts for a few weeks, and now I have a question.
we have lots of green beans on our bushes in the garden, which will be ready to pick by tomorrow, and I know we have to keep them picked to keep the plants producing. however, we have to leave town for a family event tomorrow night, and don't have time to either can or freeze this first picking. can't we just leave them in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days till we return?
thanks for the help for us dummies.

Yes. In a refrigerator, they should be fine for 3 or 4 days.

If you have time to bring a pot of water to a boil, you can blanch them and put them in a freezer bag indefinitely. You'd only have to put the beans in the water for a minute or two, take them out, bag them and freeze them.

They should be fine in the fridge for that long, I think I read something that you could keep them in the fridge for a week after picking them. I would definitely can or freeze them when you get back though.

You can try it and see how they are when you get back. It all depends on how ripe they were when you picked them. You should be fine. You are right though, you need to pick them and keep picking them if you want the plants to keep producing them.

Thanks to all.
we "chickened" out and did what was suggested...stayed up late and blanched them and put them up in freezer bags before we left. got back last night and the bushes are loaded again!
now we just need to fight the potato bugs we found when we got home!