No matter how we plan our garden, my beans ALWAYS come in during VBS week! :) Except, of course, for the past two years when we had NO BEANS. This year we have them in abundance, unless the recent flooding washes the rest away! On Saturday my daughter and I picked beans for almost 2 hours and ended up with 4 runs (14 quart sand 17 pints) from one harvesting! We are so thankful for beans!!
Someone asked for tips on canning beans, so here is what we do. This is based on information we read online about safe canning, in my canner manual, and from talking to people I know who have canned for years.
Break beans into bite-sized pieces, throwing out any tough or browned pieces.
Rinse thoroughly until water runs clear.
Using sterilized cans (I run mine through steam sanitize cycle in my dishwasher, but there are other options available if you research online), firmly pack jars with beans. I find it easiest/most reliable to do all quarts or all pints in a single "run." Shake jars gently to settle beans and continue filling to desired headspace.
Add 1/2 tsp salt to pints and 1 tsp salt to quarts and fill with water to desired headspace (it seems that different canners require different headspace. Mine requires 1/2 inch).
Boil jar lids for 30-45 seconds and then place on top of filled jars and tighten rings just to finger-tightness...don't over tighten!).
Add 3 quarts water to a large pressure canner (check your instructions!!), place jars in bottom of canner, seal lid, and process at 11 lbs pressure for 25 minutes. My canner requires allowing full steam to escape for at least 10 minutes before placing the pressure gauge on the valve. Yours may differ. Allow pressure to escape completely before removing lid. Allow jars to cool and then check for seal. Once the jars have sealed, you can remove the rings to reuse for another batch. If your jars did not seal you can process again within 24 hours OR refrigerate for use within a week.
Enjoy! If you have questions, feel free to ask!
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