Last Wednesday I posted a picture of some beans that I had just canned.
Leigh had requested that I post how I did them. They are so easy it's ridiculous, so here you go. I use this method for all my dried beans because I can never remember to have them ready when I need them. It also works for all those beans that have been in your pantry for longer than you want to admit, and are hard as little rocks. I have way too many of them.
You start by rinsing and sorting your beans the way you would for any cooking. Next add 1 slightly rounded 1/2 cup of beans to each pint jar. Fill with warm (not hot) water and let them sit overnight.
Next you take a picture of your six year old because she's way too cute and wants to be in the post.
In the morning simmer your lids, start your pressure canner heating and boil a few quarts of water. Next, drain the soaking water from the beans. You can rinse them more if you're worried about the cleanliness of your beans. This is also the point where you can add any seasonings that you think might taste good. These are pintos and I added 1/4 t granulated garlic and a few turns of black pepper. Fill the jars with boiling water, wipe and cap. Then pressure can at 11lbs pressure for 60 minutes. If you want to do quarts, you would do 1 cup of beans and cook for 75 minutes.
Voila! You have convenience food. Since it's freezing out here, I tend to do this in the winter. All of my beans are depleted, so next on the agenda are red kidney beans. In my pantry I keep jars of red kidney, white, pinto, black and garbanzo (chick peas) beans.
I'll be linking this post to
Simple Lives Thursday.
Edit: This post has gotten quite popular on Pinterest. To answer a few questions.
1. I have used this same formula for many kinds of beans. Garbanzos, black beans, kidney and pinto beans to name a few.
2. Feel free to add meats and things if you wish. This is a processing time that will safely process meat and just about anything else you wish to add.
Thanks for your interest!
36 comments:
I am so glad that you posted this. I have really needed this information.
I'd love to have a pressure canner to do this. I never have beans ready when I need them. I keep some cooked in the freezer, but they aren't as tender as the canned variety.
That does sound simple! Now If only I like dried beans!
Becky, I'm glad you can use it.
Daphne, my pressure canner gets a real workout this time of year. I don't use it very much for the garden stuff.
Meemsnyc, I love beans. My family wouldn't be sad to see them disappear forever though.
Simple indeed, I may have to give it a turn myself. I have pressure canned many foods, but never beans, it's time I change that.
-Brenda
Daphne,
You can get baked beans as tender as Boston Baked beans if you do the humongously long baking thing. Hours and hours, adding water to the pot and so on.
B&M are so good I only did this once in my life, though.
Hmm. I have never even heard of pressure canning, but this sounds really neat. I hate buying the canned beans so I always just cook my beans on demand, but your way seems a lot better.
Wow. I would love to try this. I have a pressure cooker, pint jars, and lots of beans. What other things would I need to do this?
Brenda, now you have another use for your canner.
Katie, pressure canning is for low acid foods like meats, low acid veggies and the like.
Jackie, a pressure cooker isn't quite the same as a canner. Otherwise you wouldn't really need any more equipment.
This is a great idea. I love to make bean dishes and sometimes do ahead and freeze, but I love this idea better would rather save room in my little freezer for things that have to go there.
Thanks. for posting. Erin
Erin, it's nice to free up the freezer space.
Ahhh I knew there was a way to do this but I've never run across this information. I can tons of tomatoes in the summer but in the winter my canner sits on the shelf. THANK YOU for posting this!
Thank you for sharing this... I've canned everything available but never dried beans and we eat a lot of beans. Would eat more if they were 'at the ready'. I'm going to try this today!
Can I do this with mixed beans or does it have to be one style per jar?
Tomkat, it makes no difference if they're mixed beans. They all pressure can for the same amount of time.
What about for quarts?
Quarts would be done in the same manner. It would just be double the amounts of everything and would be pressure canned at 11 pounds pressure for 75 minutes.
I was so glad to see this post. I have been looking for something like this. Can you add some pork for seasoning, or do you do that later?
Mary, you can feel free to add meats if you wish. The processing times are safe for just about anything except fish.
I've canned for years. This is the first time I've left partially. Cooked beans in the jar. They came out the same as they went in. Completely unsuccessful. I'll look at them again tomorrow but would love ideas if this happened to anyone else.
I do alot of oven canning, how long will these beans last doing it this way?
Can this be done with a hot water bath that I normally use for canning vegetables? I don't have a pressure cooker/canner
You must use a pressure canner. Oven or hot water bath is not safe for beans.
I can dried beans and just measure out 1/2 can of the dried ones and soak them usually overnight, and I add extras so I can have some to fix to eat now. I love to have these on hand and I am about out and am waiting on cooler weather here because I like to think I am using my heat from canning to help heat up the house. I also can porkloin and chicken breast like this and when I need a quick meal I can open up a can and put BBQ sauce in it and have that, or dumplings, whatever you like. I am not a proficient canner and there are so many other things I would love to can. For all the people who would like to can and are looking for a pressure canner I would suggest looking at the flea market - I bought an almost new American canner for $80 and a Presto for $30 and then had them checked at my local Home Demonstration office (they do it for free).
The flea market is a great idea!! I had not thought of that but I did know I could get them checked for free. Thanks!! Flea Market, here I come!!
Connie
I have to disagree on the hot water bath. That is the way I grew up with my Mom using the water bath method. For a Quart of dried beans that have been soaked overnight, use 3 cups of beans and fill with hot liquid leaving 1 inch of head space. Wipe off the rim of the jar making sure that there are no chips in the glass. Put your flat that has been sterilized on the jar and then put the ring on and hand tighten. Place the jars in your water bath that is boiling the water should cover the jars by 1 inch place lid on water bath. The water should stay at a low boil. Cook for three hours and then remove to a towel then cover with another towel. Let cool completely and all of the lids should be sealed. I always keep another pot of water heating on the stove in case I need to top off the water bath. I don't know of anyone that uses this method that have had a problem with it. My beans are delicious and taste just like I cooked them fresh. I have kept them up to two years before I ran out without a problem. Pioneers did not have Pressure Canners.
I would have to agree with you. I am 52 and do not remember my grandmother canning any vegetables with anything other than a hot water bath. We canned a lot. Got away from it, but now I have an almost crazy need to take care of my own food my way.
Thank you so much for posting this. Terrific! We are canning several types of beans and putting them away for hard times that are coming. We just all need to be ready!
I have canned dried beans like this twice now. LOVE IT! I always use my pressure canner for everything but high acid foods.
I'd like to let you know that 11 lbs. might be okay for your elevation but to be safe please check your correct pressure requirements for your altitude. I'm at 3500 ft above sea level and the proper pressure is 15 lbs.
Please know that hot water bath can be DANGEROUS. If you wish to jeopardize people with potential death, those who consume your low acid food prepqred this way, well that is your choice but could be a bad decision. I hope they know first. Yes, many people have canned using a water bath successfully but botulism isnt killed in boiling water. Sorry, but cooking longer doesnt work either. I wont take the risk of saving a few bucks especially when yard sales are full of presure canners. Make sure to have them checked before using. The local fire department or agriculture county agents may help. Others have died from water bath canning of low acid foods. That is why the pressure canner.
I thought quart beans are to be pressure canned 90 min.ball book says so.I love doing beans,this way is easier
People in the psst did use the water canning method successfully. And part of their success was that they knew when they opened a jar, to heat the contents to a boiling point for 10 minutes to kill any botulism that might be forming. I don't think everyone knows that now.
Can I use my instant pot 8quart cooker/canner and for how long?
My canner has a 10 lb weight. Is that close enough to the recommended 11lbs pressure?
How would you do black eyed peas? How many per pint (more or less than 1/2 cup)
Thanks Jim
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