How to Can Green Beans
Canned green beans are one of the boys’ favorite veggies, so I try to can up about thirty quarts each season. Luckily this year I’ll be able to get some from my mom, as my beans got attacked by flea beetles, and between that and the cooler weather they just did not produce very heavily. I’ve ended with eight quarts from my garden. The vines are still producing, but the output has slowed to a trickle, just enough for a meal now and then.
Out last round of “green” beans actually started out mostly as Purple Podded Pole Beans. I prefer pole beans because there is less bending and they produce over a longer season.
The beans get dumped on the table.
Off come the ends and they get snapped into bite size pieces. Into a cold water rinse – it’s amazing how much grime washes off.
Meanwhile, three quarts of boiling water and a tablespoon of white vinegar into the pressure canner, several quarts of hot water to cover the beans, and lids heating up on “low” on the back burner. Tongs, ladle, hotpads, clothes, chopstick, canning salt (no iodine – it will darken the beans) – get everything ready before you start because you want to move as fast as possible once you start packing. I wash the jars in the dishwasher and keep them hot.
I prefer the cold pack method because it keeps the beans firmer. Take the washed beans and pack them into jars, adding one teaspoon salt in each jar. Shake them down/pack them in as you go. Allow one inch headspace.
Fill jar with boiling water.
Wipe the edge of the jar with a clean, dry cloth so you get a good seal.
Screw on two piece lid and tighten until snug.
Process quarts at 11 pounds pressure for 25 minutes, pints at 20 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. (See PickYourOwn.org for altitude adjustments.) When done, allow the pressure canner to cool down and release the pressure on its own. Don’t bleed off the pressure or place cold rags on it or anything else, unless you want a big mess. Once the pressure has dropped to zero and the little pressure button has released, carefully open and unload the canner. Place the jars on a towel and leave them undisturbed for around eight hours.
The purple beans cook up green, but they are a little darker than regular green beans. The lids should be pulled down tight. If you can pop the lids up and down it did not seal properly and those beans should be refrigerated and eaten, not stored. Remove the rings (if you leave them on they tend to rust), label and store in a cool, dark place. Enjoy your garden or farm market goodness year round.
The post How to Can Green Beans appeared first on Common Sense Homesteading.