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Vegetables and Herbs
Canning Green or Yellow Beans
Select green or yellow beans fresh from the garden for canning purposes. Use young, tender, firm and crisp beans. Wash them several times, lifting them out of the water so dirt that is washed off will not drain back. Trim ends and cut beans into one-inch pieces. Prepare only enough for one pressure canner load at a time, about nine pints or seven quarts.
Green and yellow beans can only be canned in a pressure canner by using one of the following two methods, hot pack method or raw pack method.
Preparation for Pressure Canner Using Hot Pack Method
- Prepare lids. Wash with warm, soapy water and keep at room temperature. According to research done by the Jarden Home Brands’ quality assurance team, pre-heating metal canning lids is not necessary.
- Cover beans with boiling water in saucepan, cover and boil five minutes.
- Pack hot beans loosely to one inch from the top of pint or quart jars. If desired, add one teaspoon canning salt to quarts, one-half teaspoon to pints.
- Add boiling water or hot cooking liquid, leaving one-inch headspace.
- Wipe jar rims clean with a damp paper towel.
- Place lid on jar so that sealing compound is next to the glass.
- Apply screw band, finger tight. Do NOT over tighten.
Using the Pressure Canner
- Pour two or three inches of boiling water into the pressure canner.
- Put filled jars on rack and fasten cover tight.
- Turn heat on high until steam vents for at least 10 minutes. Then close vent or add counterweight on to vent stem.
- Let pressure rise to 11 pounds in a dial gauge canner or process at 15 pounds in a weighted gauge pressure canner.
- Keeping pressure constant; process quarts 25 minutes, and pints 20 minutes.
- Turn off burner and gently move canner onto a cold burner.
- When pressure falls to zero, slowly open vent and remove cover, tilting far side up first. This keeps steam away from your face. Using a jar lifter, remove jars from canner by grasping the glass shoulder, not the metal ring band.
Do not tighten band after it comes out. Cool jars on rack, out of drafts.
Preparation for Pressure Canner Using Raw Pack Method
- Pack raw beans tightly to one inch from top. If desired, add 1/2 teaspoon canning salt to pints, one teaspoon to quarts.
- Cover with boiling water, leaving one-inch headspace.
- Follow the same pressure cooker procedures as for hot pack method. Note: If you process pint and quarts together use the quart times. You cannot remove pints in the middle of the process.
Source:
Beans, Snap and Italian - Pieces, Green and Wax. National Center for Home Food Preservation
Reviewed by Suzanne Driessen 2016
