How to Can Green Beans | CANNING RECIPES
How To Can Green Beans
When planning a garden, green beans are a staple for us to plant every few years. Here are our tips and tricks on how to can green beans.
Can them using a pressure canner. They require 20 minutes of processing for pints and 25 for quarts, adjusting for your elevation. You can put salt in the jars too (we tend to season while cooking instead).
Use the beans to make an easy soup or casserole.
Raw Pack Green Beans
Canning Green Beans
Equipment
- Various bowls
Ingredients
- washed fresh green beans
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional (1 teaspoon per quart)
- water
Instructions
- Wash the beans in water. Rinse the beans and place them n water while cutting them up.
- Take the beans and cut the ends and remove any blemishes or undesirable portions that may not be suitable to eat. If you would not eat it fresh, don't can it.
- Cut the beans into about 2 inch pieces and place into a bowl and cut all your beans. OR, you can cut the beans and place into sterilized jars (for cold packing). Pack the jars well as the beans will move around when processing and make space.
- Using a funnel helps in getting the beans into the jar.
- Once the jars are filled with beans, add water, leaving 1" head space. Use a knife to remove air bubbles
- Wipe the jar rims with a clean wet towel & place a sterilized wet seal on each jar and hand tighten a band around each filled jar.
- Place filled jars into pressure canner, adding at least 2 inches of water into canner (about 2 quarts). Water should be same temp as jars.
- Place the top of the canner on and turn on medium heat.
- Once the pressure gauge gets to 10 pounds, you will want to maintain that pressure for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, adjust for your altitude.
- Turn off the burner and allow the canner to cool down and the pressure to go to zero.
- Allow the canner to sit for 5 minutes to cool.
- Carefully remove the top (use pot holders as there is sometimes steam so hot it can burn).
- Have a towel on the counter. Pull the jars out using your canning utensils and remove excess water on top. Place jar on towel and allow to cool. Cover the jars with another towel to slow the cooling process and keep jars from breaking.
- Once cooled, use a marker to write the date and what is in the jar on the label.
Video
Are Canned Green Beans Cooked?
Yes. When you can beans, they are pressure canned in pint jars or quart jars. If you hot pack them, the beans will have been blanched. If you cold back, you will start with raw beans. The beans will cook complete while being processed in the pressure cooker.
Do You Need A Pressure Canner to Can Green Beans?
Yes. Pressure Canning is needed for green beans. They are not acidic and water bath canning will not process them safely. Home canned green beans require pressure canning to process properly. We follow instructions from Ball Canning on how to process beans.
It is best to can the beans soon after you have purchased or picked them. Then allows you to can the freshest beans possible.
How Long Can Fresh Canned Green Last?
I’ve read they can last 3-5 years. I error on the shorter timeline and can enough for 1-2 years (personal preference). I would also recommend storing in a cool dry place for freshness and stability.
My Beans Are Mushy After Canning, Why?
This happens if they are over processed. Be sure to can them for the pints or quarts. If you are in a higher elevation, adjust canning time. Set a timer as well to ensure you are not over processing your beans.
