How To Can Green Beans

In this posting, I describe how to can green beans using a pressure canner.

We had a bumper crop of green beans and with another crop on the way in a few weeks, I decided to put some away for the Winter. An easy way to preserve green beans is to blanche them in hot water and then freeze them in vacuum seal bags. (For more information about this process, see my posting on freezing and vacuum sealers)

An older method of preserving beans is to can them.  Canning green beans results in a product that tastes very different than freezing. Undoubtedly, the taste of canned green beans is less good than frozen, but they have a retro flavor that brings back memories of my grandmother serving green beans for dinner.  (Grandma didn't can her own, she let Delmonte do it for her)  So each year, I put away some canned beans.

How to Can Green Beans

1. Wash your jars and lids thoroughly and sanitize by simmering them in water till you are ready to use them.  Leave them in the hot water and remove one at a time when ready.
2. Wash and de-tip the beans.
3. Cut the beans into uniform size pieces.
4. Cook the beans in boiling water for five minutes. (Keep the water for step #7)
5. Remove the beans and place them into pint sized jars.
6. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each pint.
7. Ladle hot water from the pot you used to cook your beans into each jar.  Leaving about 1 inch of head-space.
8. Use a clean spatula to remove any air bubbles in can by sliding the beans around in the jars.
9. Wipe the rim and place the sanitized lid on top, screwing till fingertip tight.
10. Place into a pressure canner that contains 2-3 inches of water.
11. Place the lid on the pressure canner and bring it to the boil.  You should let steam vent for 10 minutes before placing the weight on the vent (Use kitchen tongs so you don't get burned)
12. Process the pint sized jars for 20 minutes.
13. Turn off the heat and allow the canner to return to zero pressure.
14. Remove the jars and let cool before storing.

For more information about pressure canners, see my post Preserving Your Harvest by Canning.

Comments

[Lachelle Norris]

Mark, I remember us having a conversation on canning green beans some time back. My family actually likes the canned better than the frozen, but I think that's personal preference. Regarding the cooking beforehand, my aunt does, but the rest of us do not. We just pack quart jars (rooom temperature) with freshly broken beans. We then fill the jars with hot water and then place in the canner (same as you, 10 lbs pressure for about 25 minutes). Nothing better on a cold winter day than to be able to put some of these green beans on the table! Glad you've had a good crop this year ~

[H. Mark Delman]

Hmmm.... you have a good point here. I follow the recipe I have from Ball, the company that supplies the canning equipment. However, its not really clear why they need to be cooked in advance if they go into the canner. I think I like your approach here and will give it a try with my next batch. Thanks for posting this comment for my readers.