Asparagus, Yellow Wax Beans,Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, Herb Glazed Carrots, Corn
* If you have a request for a particular dish/food or method, please leave a comment. I can't make any promises but if I've made the dish/food or know how to, I will try to help you out with a more detailed write-up. I may even try out a requested dish if I haven't made it then give my feedback.
Canning beans either string or wax is rather straight forward. As produce goes, there isn't a lot of prep work for canning. Wash the beans and trim ends. Remove the string. Cut into about 1 - inch pieces. Beans can be either hot pack or raw pack. I prefer raw packing as I think the beans have a better texture. The processing times are the same for either method. Pay particular attention to the headspace requirement as anything less than 1 - inch will cause the lids to buckle and the jars to loose liquid. Salt is an option and can be omitted entirely if desired.
To hot pack: Place the beans in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Boil the beans 5 minutes then fill hot, sterilized jars leaving 1 - inch headspace. Add salt if desired, 1 tsp per 1 L (quart) or 1/2 tsp per 500 ml jar (pint). Cover with the boiling cooking liquid leaving 1 - inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim. Adjust the two piece lids. Process 500 ml (pints) for 20 minutes and 1 L (quarts) for 25 minutes at 10 lb pressure**.
To raw pack: Boil water. Pack the raw beans tightly into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1 - inch headspace. Add salt if desired, 1 tsp per 1 L (quart) or 1/2 tsp per 500 ml jar (pint). Cover with the boiling water. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim. Adjust the two piece lids. Process 500 ml (pints) for 20 minutes and 1 L (quarts) for 25 minutes at 10 lb pressure**.
**Processing time is for weighted gauge pressure canner at 0 - 1,000 feet above sea level. Be sure to adjust is you are above this altitude. Use 11 lb pressure if you have a dial gauge and adjust for altitude if necessary.
Thank you so much!! I'm going to have to freeze these since I don't yet have a pressure canner (Christmas gift!) and I don't have the time to find a good one before these need to be processed.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it helped :)
ReplyDeleteYou have a delightful blog and I am excited that I found you! I have only done water bath canning and have always been a little intimidated to use a pressure canner. With no one to teach me, your blog is just perfect. You have easy instructions and beautiful pictures. Your post have encouraged me to put a Pressure cooker on my Christmas Wish List. Thanks also for the different methods of freezing food as well. I have read your archives over the past several days and learned so much! I will check in often...
ReplyDeleteCarmen
Carmen, thank-you for your very lovely compliments! I'm glad you are finding my blog useful. I have a lot of fun with it :) You won't regret getting a pressure cooker but if you want to can low-acid foods you will need a pressure canner. I think the smallest I've seen is a 12 quart Presto. Mirro has a 16 quart canner as well. Going bigger is sometimes better as I'm using a 21.5 quart All American and 22 quart Mirro allowing me to do larger loads while still giving me the option of doing smaller loads.
ReplyDeletePlease let me know what you get and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Take care!
Thank You Again!
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you for your wonderful blog! I am really enjoying it. I am quite new to canning and wanted to ask about canning green beans. I note that most all recipes call for using a pressure canner. I don't have one of those. Can the beans be processed via hot water? Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, thank-you for visiting my blog. I'm so glad you are enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteGreen beans are a low-acid food and must be canned using a pressure canner. The reason for this is a boiling water bath canner brings the temperature to 212ºF at altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level. This is not a high enough temperature to destroy bacterial spores in low acid foods. These spore produce the the toxin that causes botulism. You can't see or taste this toxin. Ingestion can result in death. Low-acid foods need to be processed in a pressure canner which brings the temperature to 240ºF at altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level. This higher temperature is needed to destroy the spores.
I hope this helps you understand why low-acid food must be processed using a pressure canner. Pressure canners range in price from about $69 for 12 qt models upwards of $400 for 32 quart models depending on their manufacturer. All American which I recommend do not have a gasket. Both Mirro and Presto have gaskets but are less expensive. Be sure to get a pressure canner not a pressure cooker. These are two different things.
If you can't afford to buy a new one right now, you could try ebay or freecycle. However, if you have green beans ready for canning right now the safest thing would be to freeze them instead of using a boiling water bath.
Ok..great! Thanks for the information. May I also ask then....that if I go ahead and freeze the "UPTEEN" beans that I have right now...would I be able to then take them out of the freezer and then can them when I get a pressure canner? Also, anyone have any good recipes or something to do with "UMPTEEN" beautiful eggplants? LOL...I didn't realize how many I would get and I planted 6 plants :O Thanks all! Great little forum here with loads of info! You can be sure that I have definitely put this one on my favorites list! Happy Canning! :) Thanks again, Asedaii
ReplyDeleteSorry :) I forgot to mention that I do not have the room to leave all those beans in the freezer but since they are ready now and I am not ... thought that perhaps I could keep them there for just a bit and then can when I am ready. Sorry for another post too :O Asedaii
ReplyDeleteAsedaii, if you freeze the beans you will not be able to can then later. About the only things you can get away with freezing then canning later are berries for making jams and fruit juices. Tomatoes are a fruit but cannot be frozen whole then canned but they can be frozen then made into sauces.
ReplyDeleteWe are on a road trip right now so I don't have access to my recipes. I'll post some ways to use eggplant once we are back homeside so please check back.
Take care,
Bummer! Oh well, I just leave those in there and eat em up that way. Can the beans etc. be left in the refridgerator until you are ready to can? Can't wait to see any eggplant recipes that I can use. Thanks again and enjoy your trip :)
ReplyDeleteHope your not getting tired of answering my questions :O Ok, I canned and all looks good. Couple of questions...the green beans had a "slightly brownish" color to them after pressure canning. This is normal I hope? Also, can the water used in the pressure canner itself (the water that the jars actually sit in) be reused? (i.e. you can 3 batches one right after the other) or do you have to actually dump that water and use fresh. Probably a silly question but knowing me...LOL! Take care and thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, I'm so glad you were able to get a pressure canner to can your green beans. To answer a couple of your questions.
ReplyDeleteYes, green beans can be refrigerated then canned when you have enough something that many gardeners have to do if they have smaller yields. Ideally you can as soon after picking as possible for the highest nutrition but that is not always possible.
The water around the beans will have a slightly greenish brown cast to it. That's normal so don't worry about it. If the water turns cloudy or the lid bulges then discard.
The water in the pressure canner can be reused. However you will have to add more water to bring the water level to the proper level for your canner. Also if you use plain water there may be some whitish film on your jars. If there is, wipe with a cloth dabbed in white vinegar. To prevent this from happening add 2 tbsp of white vinegar to the water in the canner.
I hope this helps and enjoy those home canned beans!
Questions about garlic. I read a lot of posts about not being able to pressure can garlic. Most were referring to garlic by itself. However, I was wondering about putting garlic in with dill pickles. Is that ok to do? AQnd would you hot water bath/can them or pressure can them?
ReplyDeleteAlso, any recipes for eggplant canning? Thanks again for your wealth of knowledge!
Asadeii, garlic can be used as an ingredient in canning. The only problem you may encounter when adding garlic to dill pickles is the garlic may turn a blueish colour. This happens because of impurities in the water or additives like iodine in the salt. For that reason when making pickles use filtered or distilled water and use either pickling or Kosher salt that does not contain iodine. Pickles are processed using a boiling water bath. Timing is 15 minutes for quarts for altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level. For higher altitudes please refer to the chart in the archives.
ReplyDeleteEggplant is one of those vegetables that is better frozen and more so as an ingredient than by itself. According to Putting Food By (1973) eggplant can be canned but is does lose its appearance. It can only be canned as slices or cubes not mashed and it has to sit in salt water for 45 minutes to draw out the juices. Processing times given using a pressure canner is 30 minutes at 10 lb pressure for pints, 40 minutes at 10 lb pressure for quarts with appropriate adjustments for altitudes over 1,000 ft above sea level. With this being said, the USDA (current acceptable guidelines) has no information on canning eggplant by itself. There is a link on the sidebar to their website.
Good luck and hope this helps :)
Hello all :) Question please on tomatoes. I see lots of recipes for canning tomatoes. My question is do I have to peel my tomatoes? I have loads of cherry tomatoes that I would perfer to can either whole or just sliced. Must they be peeled? Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteAsedaii, aesthetically the skins should be removed for canning. What I would do with cherry tomatoes is run them through a food mill to remove the skins. Don't throw out those skin either. Instead dry them then grind to make tomato powder. The method is in the archives. Tomato powder is a must have for adding extra flavour to soups, stews and more.
ReplyDeleteHTH
Ok great! I don't have a food mill...looks like another item on my list of things to get :)
ReplyDeleteSo for this batch...if I do want to leave the skins on I just follow the directions the same way?
Also, where do I find your archives? Thanks again!!
Hi again :) A food mill really is a must have for making sauces. Cherry tomatoes make great sauce. I don't think you will be happy with the outcome of cherry tomatoes canned with the skins on as the skins tend to toughen and float making the product less than appealing looking. What I would suggest since you don't have a food mill is to puree the tomatoes in a blender then either dry or can that way. The skins will be chopped fine enough that you won't see them.
ReplyDeleteThe archives for this blog can be found in the side bar to the right of the post entries. Click one of the arrows and it will open up all the posts made for that month. I would think a lot of the tomato canning entries would be in September and October of 2006 with more in 2007. Those are my heavy tomato canning months. If you can't find the instructions let me know and I will post a direct link.
HTH
Thanks for all the wonderful tips and information! I now have the canner and a food mill and am really enjoying both. I notice that when I open the dill pickles as well as the bread and butter pickles that they are soft and not crunchy. I put them on ice as recipe called for and used several different recipes. Are they always like that? The only ones that stayed crunchy were the refridgerator ones but they only last approx. 3 months in refridge.
ReplyDeletePickles should have a crispness (crunch) to them. It is important that you use only pickling variety cucumbers when making pickles. The blossom ends of cucumbers must be removed because the enzymes there can cause pickles to soften while brining (dill pickles). An older and still acceptable method for maintaining crispness is to use alum. The freezer pickle recipe in the archives uses alum (optional). Food grade lime in solution can be used to improve crispness as well for any kind of pickle. The cucumbers are soaked for 12 to 24 hours in the solution before pickling. Finally you can process for 30 minutes at 180ºF instead of the normal 15 minutes at 212ºF. Be sure to not let the temperature of the water fall below 180ºF while processing. HTH
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am fairly new to canning lower acid foods.....and very nervous about
it. This year I had a bumper crop of Roma's so I decided to make tomato sauce....just pure tomato, no added ingredients. I decided more was better so I pressure canned 1/2 pints for 25 min. at 15 lbs pressure
I did not add an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar because I was pressure canning the tom's.......now Im worried that my canning might spoil....I found several recipes that call for an acid even when using this method. Any help or comments would be great!
Hi :) The current USDA guidelines for tomatoes is to acidify with either lemon juice or citric acid. The recommendations for pressure canning tomato sauce is 15 minutes at 10lb pressure at altitudes up to 1,000 feet above sea level.
ReplyDeleteNow technically if your sauce is higher than pH 4.6 and was pressure canned then acidification should not be needed however I could not get a straight answer regarding this from the NCFHFP or the USDA. They just say that acidification is required regardless of the processing method on the basis that some hybrid tomatoes have a lower acid content. Low acid tomatoes are no longer available. Pressure canning as you did will have destroyed any spores.
With all this being said and keeping in mind these are the current recommendations, many do not acidify their tomato products. So you can leave as is or re-process the jars by re-heating the sauce and add 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or 1/8 tsp citric acid per 1/2 pint then process at 10 lb pressure for 15 minutes or BWB for 35 minutes. Personally I think your sauce is fine as is but if you are worried then re-processing will put your mind at ease and while it is extra work it will only cost you a little time and new lids.
Thank you for the info on canning tomatoes......here's a crazy idea....could I test a jar of my tomato sauce with PH paper?????
ReplyDeleteI use it for testing my homemade soap
Thanks, Kathleen :o)
Hello and thank you in advance to another upcoming gardening seasoning answer questioning blog :) I have a problem and was wondering if anyone has experienced this. I am having a hard time getting my family to eat the green beans that I canned. They do taste different than store brought canned green beans I know. My question is I guess....how can I make them taste more like the "store brought canned green beans?" LOL...my family won't eat the ones that I home canned and I have dozens of jars! Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, home canned green beans should be fairly close to store bought both in texture and flavour. However, they can differ slightly from commercially canned beans in flavour for two reasons - salt content and variety. If I remember correctly Blue Lake is the variety used most often for commercially canned beans so if you canned a different variety there may be a slight flavour difference. Most of the green beans I can are Kentucky Wonder pole beans. They are a large bean than Blue Lake and give good canning results. Most commercially canned beans have salt added and may have preservatives as well (not in Canada) so that will affect the flavour.
ReplyDeleteTo get closer to the store bought taste in future, try growing either variety mentioned and add salt when canning. To use up the jars you have, try adding them to casseroles, soups and stews. Another way that is good is to add them to mushroom sauce made with mushroom soup for pork, chicken or beef. If serving plain heat on the stovetop instead of the microwave. Pour the entire contents including liquid into the saucepan, add salt to taste and heat until just starting to boil.
I hope this helps.
Add some flavor to your beans by cooking with a slice of bacon or ham. That's the way we do it in the South! When I'm canning, I add the salt, plus 1/2 -1/4 tsp of sugar. I do this when I'm cooking raw beans to bring out the flavor as well.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if it would be safe to re-process jars (of beans) that did not seal the first time. Occassionally, I will have a jar that does not seal. Today I had 3 jars in one cooking that did not seal.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, the problem with adding a piece of bacon to the beans when canning is the processing time would have to changed to 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts in keeping with current USDA recommendations. Any combination food must be processed according to the ingredient with the longest processing time, in this case the bacon. This would result in over processing of the beans giving a less than desirable product.
ReplyDeleteAdding either salt or sugar is fine and does not affect processing time. I don't add either but you can if you would like.
Hi Anonymous, you could reprocess the beans if desired although they will be over processed so likely mushy. You could also put the unsealed jars in the fridge and use them up within the next couple of days.
ReplyDeleteGreetings! I am new here, and also to canning. I ordered a 23 quart pressure canner last week and it was supposed to be here today. I was SO excited, and this morning I went out to buy farm fresh produce. Spent a ton of money, and now I learn that the canner will be here Friday. I have some beautiful pencil thin asparagus and ten pounds of green beans (amongst other things that can wait) and I don't know if they can wait or not. What can I do to prepare them? And can I cold pack them? Meaning, can I put them in the cars now, add water, and refrigerate them until Friday, bring the jars to room temperature and use the cold canning method on Friday?
ReplyDeleteKris
Hi KrisW and thanks for visiting. Congratulations on your new purchase, I'm sure you will enjoy it. The asparagus should be put cut end down into a water filled container. It will keep that way for several days in the refrigerator. The green beens are not going to be at their prime when you get your canner even assuming you will be canning the same day you get your canner. What I would suggest is you freeze these green beens and pick up fresh after you get your canner. Ideally and my rule of thumb is picked in the morning canned by lunch time or at the latest that same day.
ReplyDeleteGreen beans can be cold packed on the day they are going to be processed not before so no do not put them in jars and refrigerate. All prep work should be done the day of canning both green beans and asparagus.
I was wondering if anyone has used grape tomatoes in a salsa recipe instead of regular or tomatillo tomatoes? I have LOTS of really good grape tom's and want to do something else with them. Any other suggestions for using them from anyone? :)) Thanks again
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, tomatillo is related to tomatoes but isn't really a tomato so substituting grape tomatoes in a tomatillo salsa recipe will give different results. When I make salsa for canning I peel the tomatoes so using grape tomatoes would be too much work. For fresh salsa the skin is fine so grape tomatoes would work. I would roast the tomatoes turning them into a roasted tomato sauce then can that up. Instructions for canning roasted tomato sauce are in the searchable archives. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteYes, I will try this, however, I can not seem to find the recipe. I see where the roasted tomatoe "blog" is and I can click on the "picture" of the tomatoes but I do not see the exact recipe to make and can them. Can you list the ingrediant/recipe/canning times please or paste link as to where I find this. As always...THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, there really is no recipe for the roasted tomato sauce. I usually add fresh herbs from the garden and a little onion, green pepper and tomatoes during the roasting stage and sprinkle on just a little olive oil on the first layer. During roasting I just keep adding tomatoes as they boil down. Essentially the tomatoes are roasted on an outdoor grill, put through a food mill, acidified with citric acid 1/4 tsp per 500 ml (pint) jar then pressure canned at 10 lb for 15 minutes at pressure for altitudes 1,000 feet or less below sea level. At altitudes above that refer to the altitude adjustment chart.
ReplyDeleteResults will depend on the variety of tomato you use and the length of time you let them roast. Cherry tomatoes make a lovely roasted sauce!
HTH
One more question :) Have you done any roasting of just the tomatoes in your oven? Can they be canned at that point and used in a sauce at a later date? Thank you again!
ReplyDeleteHi Asedai, yes you can roast them in the oven at a low, slow temperature. Then turn them into a sauce and can the sauce.
ReplyDeleteI am having a problem with loss of liquid from my green beans when processed in the pressure canner. It leaves some beans exposed out of the water. Did I pack them too tightly or put too much/little boiling water in the jars?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, beans canned in a pressure canner can lose water for a few reasons one of them being chasing the pressure. If you try too hard to keep the pressure at 10 lb by adjusting your stove setting it causes a bit of a drop in pressure in the canner which causes the jars to lose liquid. Instead use a slower method. Rather than drop the setting from 10 to 6 do it in stages. The second problem causing liquid loss in the jars comes from releasing the pressure too soon. Be sure your canner is registering 0 before removing the regulator or opening in. Opening too soon will cause liquid in the jars to be forced out. HTH
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help. Should I open the jars add water, and reprocess them, or just use them first?
ReplyDeleteMy new All American Canner should arrive here on Friday....never pressure cooker canned soooooooo...have questions.....one is ....If I make my own spaghetti sauce....leaving out the meat.....can I just at some lemon juice and then process it in the pressure cooker? If so for how long?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Peg
Is it a problem if there is a loss of liquid or if any of the green beans are poking up out of it?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous. Yes you can make your spaghetti sauce and add 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1/4 tsp citric acid per 500 ml (pint) jar then can it at 10 lb pressure for 15 minutes at altitudes 1,000 or less above sea level. For altitudes above that, refer to the altitude adjustment chart.
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, as long as your jars sealed don't worry about the liquid loss. Liquid loss is common especially if the canner is depressurized too quickly. Your beans will be fine.
ReplyDeleteCan you can chicken corp soup?
ReplyDeleteHi Pat, I'm not sure what you mean by 'corp' but yes, chicken soup can be canned providing it does not contain pasta, rice or barley. It must be processed in a pressure canner at 10 lb pressure for 65 min 500 ml (pints) or 90 min L (quarts).
ReplyDeleteHello Garden Gnome :) I just pressured canned my first batch of tomatoes. I used a crushed tomatoes without added liquid recipe. It called for me to heat approx 1/16 of the tomatoes to boiling and then added the remaining tomatoes. I put the salt and lemon juice in each jar etc. My question is...I packed the jars with, of course, some of the liquid, and the tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch. After pressuring canning for the 25 minutes I have this "layered" look of approx 1.5 inches of "water" on the bottom of each jar and with the tomatoes floating on the top of the water at the top of the jar. Is this normal?
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii, yes tomatoes separating in this fashion is normal. It does not affect the quality of your product and in fact you can use this juice in anything calling for crushed tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of filling my pressure canner with too much water when I canned my green beans(I covered the jars with water and they were pints). All of the jars sealed, I just want to know if it would be safe to eat. I processed the beans according to directions, minus adding too much water. Any information would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHi Leah, no I would not consider your beans properly processed. There should be no more than 3 inches of water in the canner for the canner to reach proper pressure. Depending on the size of the canner this is usually about 3 qts of water, no more than that. Filling with too much water means the inside pressure of the canner would not properly penetrate the contents inside the jars. It is essential that green beans be properly pressure canned.
ReplyDeleteI do not recommend eating these beans as they were incorrectly processed. What I would advise is to either reprocess the jars properly which will result in overprocessing of your beans but still save them. They will be still be suitable for adding to soups and casseroles. Be sure to use new lids, use 3 qt of water in the canner, properly vent the canner, process for the proper timing at 10 lb pressure then allow for the proper cool down period for your canner before removing the lid.
Your second alternative is to empty the jars and freeze the contents. I also recommend you do either of these ways to save the beans within 24 hours of the original processing. If it has been more than 24 hours of the original processing I would recommend discarding the beans and chuck it up to experience.
Thank you for responding so quickly. I will have to chuck the beans. I started canning a few weeks ago. I hate learning the hard way :)
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you are still checking this blog. Wow, what a lot of great information. I just processed 12 jars of green beans. Just picked them and processed them. However the ends and the "bean" inside turned brown, also where the string was. Last year this didn't happen. I processed the same way. Could it be the type of bean? Like I said they are freshly picked. ??? Has this ever happened to you
ReplyDeleteHi, i am currently canning green beans and I am experiencing the same problem. Bean ends, seeds and string side turning reddish/brown. So is the water in the jar. This is the only site that mentioned the same problem. Not sure what is going on. 2nd year canning. This did not happen last year. Any advice/commenys would be appreciated.
DeleteHi Anonymous, yes this blog as in the whole blog is usually updated daily and yes I do check comments. The ends of the beans may darken slightly depending on the age of the beans and the variety. No this has not been a problem for me.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to adding bacon or ham to the green beans--I believe you misunderstood that the meat was NOT to be added to the canning process. As the other Anonymous poster said--down here in the South we like our beans "greasy" as my great-grandmother used to call it. The meat (or even a couple of tablespoons of bacon drippings) is added to the cooking pot in preparation for serving at dinner. Open the canned beans you have on the shelf & drain the liquid. Place a couple of slices of bacon (if cut in pieces it is easier to fit into the pot) in the bottom of your pot & cook briefly (at least enough to turn the fat from white to clear--crispier if you like--this helps to release the bacon juice). If you are using ham, be sure it is precooked & cut into chunks--you don't have to heat it in the pot before the beans--just throw it in with the beans & stir it all up. Immediately add the drained beans & just enough water to help boil & steam them (covering about 2/3 or 3/4 of the beans--I know how much in my pots I cook in but have never measured exactly). Add a little salt if desired & bring to a boil--cover & lower the temp down to keep it simmering--stirring occasionally to keep from sticking). Cook for about a couple of hours or so. --If you are watching your sodium levels--avoid adding salt to the pot when using bacon or ham. Also an alternative to the meat is to add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pot (you can also add small new potatoes or large pieces of peeled baking type potatoes--be sure you add a little more water to start with & you may have to cook a little longer. HINT for saving those beans--I have a crazy evening schedule that sometimes prevents me from slaving over the stove. In order for my family to enjoy home a cooked meal quickly, I go ahead & cook my beans in a large pot just like I was going to serve them for dinner, then package them in freezer containers & freeze. Reheat on the stove or microwave to serve in minutes. Enjoy:) CJ
ReplyDeleteHi CJ and thanks for explaining how to cook beans with bacon. I am definitely going to have to try beans cooked this way. It sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteI took it to be the bacon would be added to the beans when canning as some on one of the forums was asking how to do this. Those asking wanted the bacon right in the jars with the beans but honestly I don't know how well that would work even though some have done it. At any rate if canning the bacon with the beans then processing times would be to that of the meat not the beans. So processing times would be longer. This might be worth experimenting with if it resulted in a similar bean product like the one you described but in a convenient form that only needs reheating.
I have air bubbles in the jars of beans that I have canned, the lids are sealed and tight, will this affect the beans in any way
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous and thanks for visiting. It is always desirable to remove air bubbles to keep the proper head space in the jars of food you are canning. Since your jars have already been processed the air bubbles will increase that headspace causing the beans at the top of the jar to discolour somewhat. As long as you achieved the proper seal the beans are still safe to eat.
ReplyDeleteHello and happy canning to all! I have a question I am hoping you can answer. I searched around but didn't exactly find what I was looking for. I made a WHOLE bunch of refrigerator kosher dills. They turned out really good except for one thing. They are wayyyyy to salty. I followed the recipe but unfortunately they are just tooo salty. What can I do about this for the ones I have already made? Can I dilute the solution in the jars that I already made in the fridge by adding water or something? I would hate to throw them away. I will certainly lower my recipe ingredient for salt drastically! Thank you very much for any help. Asedaii
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii :) I would try soaking a jar of the finished pickles in cold filtered water for 24 hrs changing the water every 8 hours. This will draw some of the salt out of the pickles. Use fresh diluted brine. Then cover the pickles with diluted brine. Try that for one jar to see how it works out. That should solve the salty problem while keeping the pickles acidic enough. If the results are what you want then go ahead and do the rest. Please let me know how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteHi again:) I just a bit ago found and tried a new recipe for "Claussen like" Refridgerator pickles. It called for 3 qts water; 1 qt. apple cider and 1/2 cup canning salt. You boil the brine and then let it cool to room temp. Meanwhile, the garlic, onions, mustard seed are placed in the bottom of your ready mason jar. You pack the jar with your cukes and pour the room temp brine over it and fill. You then let it sit 4-5 days flippping the far each day. Then upright for 2 dyas and then refridgerate. Does this sound ok? I am skeptical of leaving it out for that period of time. I see quite a few but feel safer asking :) Hugs and thanks again. I am searching for a directions to can oven roasted tomatoes. If you know of a good recipe I am all ears or eyes as the case may be :) Asedai
ReplyDeleteHmmm I must have made a mistake on my first post. I was letting you know that your suggestion of soaking the pickles in water for 24 hours worked a bit. They are still salty but not as salty. Can I repeat this safely? Also, I just noticed that you said replace it with a diluted brine after the 24 hours. How am I diluting it? More or less of what? Asedaii
ReplyDeleteHi Asedaii :) The Claussen like refrigerator pickles sounds fine because of the amount of vinegar and salt both of which are preservatives. Room temperature will give the pickles a bit of sour flavour. You could put them in the fridge but it will take a bit longer to pickle which really isn't a problem and the pickles will be good but might not have quite the same flavour.
ReplyDeleteThe method for making roasted tomato sauce is in the archives. I haven't canned roasted tomatoes but they would be canned the same as stewed tomatoes (also in the archives).
You can repeat the desalting step for your pickles safely. I would use half the salt in the new brine and dilute it with water. What is the brine solution you are using?
I am going to use this one and see how it comes out. 3 qts water; 1 qt. apple cider and 1/2 cup canning salt. So I will reduce the salt to 1/4 cup and add a bit more water? Found the other recipes :) Thanks so much again. Asedaii
ReplyDeleteAsedaii, what I would do is make the pickles as per the instructions using the 1/2 c of canning salt. Then when they are pickled, desalt the pickles with the soak and replace with fresh brine using half the salt.
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves green beans with ham is there a way to can them this way or would it be better to freeze them? If there is a way to can green beans and ham do I fully cook it before putting in the pressurer cooker?
ReplyDeleteKim
Hi Kim and thanks for visiting. Yes green beans and ham can be canned together using seared ham. You would process in a pressure 'canner' to the longest time which is the ham at 10 lb pressure 75 minutes for 500 ml (pints) or 90 minutes for 1 L (quarts). Green bean are normally canned at 20 minutes 500 ml (pints) or 25 minutes for 1 L so the addition of ham will result in over processing of the green beans so bare that in mind.
ReplyDeleteI just used a pressure canner for the first time, I processed beans, The beans have turned a brownish red. The lids have sealed, but I was wondering if they are safe to eat and how long should they keep if they are good?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous :) Any green vegetable that turns brown when canned is an indication that if hot packing the vegetable was cooked too long or the vegetable was too mature for canning. Your green beans are still safe for eating. The USDA recommendation for home canned food storage is 1 year for maximum nutritional value but food can be stored longer than that if desired.
ReplyDeleteI just canned my first batch of green beans based on my husbands grandmothers directions. im reading some things online that are making me question her instructions. could you clarify??? first, must the jars be sterilized prior to raw packing? she said washing in a dishwasher was sufficient. second, must you raw pack the beans in HOT jars? i used jars at room temp after running thru the dishwasher. I raw packed the beans, added tap water and one tsp salt. sealed with lids and rings, placed in pressure canner, added three quarts of water, sealed canner and processed as per standard directions online. I guess my concern is with the steps she gave me in packing, not necessarily with the pressure canner process. she is aging and i just need some clarification as to how acceptable her instructions are since it has been several years since she canned.
ReplyDeleteHi and thanks for visiting :) Your husband's grandmother is quite correct.
ReplyDeleteJars must be hot not necessarily sterilized. Pre-heating in the dishwasher cycle is perfectly fine.
Your jars should be hot even if using raw pack to prevent the jar breaking from thermal shock when you add the hot liquid and when you put the jar into the canner.
You should not add tap water but rather boiling water. Salt is optional.
Water should be added to your pressure canner and heating while you are packing the jars. Don't add it after packing the jars.
I just canned my first batch of green beans and yellow wax beans (mixed together) in my pressure canner and they don't look very good. The water is slightly rusty red and the beans look a little reddish on the ends too. Can you please tell me: #1 Are they still okay to eat? and #2 What caused this so I can prevent this from happening next time?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Kelly
I canned a small batch of dilly beans and the water has a pink tint to it. What is your recommendation for proper canning. Time,temp,hot pack, cold pack, etc..
ReplyDeleteHello, what a great blog! I am following my grandmother's recipe for canning green beans. She added a clove of garlic, salt and a cube of pre-cooked ham into the jar along with garden green beans Kentucky pole beans and processed at 10 lbs of pressure for 25 mins. Reading the blog, I see that you are supposed to process for the ingredient with the longest processing time, which would be the ham. Should these beans be eaten? Re-processing would probably ruin beans, yes? What are your suggestions? I assumed since the ham was cooked and cured (out of a package of cubed ham) that it would be safe. Ughhhh, such a science. Thank you in advance for any help!
ReplyDeleteI just finished canning green beans for the first time and they also are turning reddish/brown on the ends and string side. what did I do wrong? Are they still good to eat? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreen bean canning question...
ReplyDeleteHave been canning for a few years. Not sure if I've used Kentucky wonder in the past or not. (I think I've used blue lake) My first batch of Kentucky wonder all sealed but the seeds all turned reddish brown. The beans look fine except this color of the seed. My mother in law said they were fine as long as they sealed. She wasn't surprised by the color of the bean seed either.
I do think I processed for 25 min (my processors recommendation) where as I think someone said only 20 min.
I have canned some yellow green beans. They were not "perfect", some had a few spots on them. After canning, they juice looked liked it turned orange in color. What would cause the orange color? They only thing I added was about a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water before adding to the jars. I wanted a tiny tiny bit of salt for a little bit of flavor. I didn't wanna add it to the jars because of getting to much salt. Other than that, it was just plain boiling water and beans.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though many of us are in the same boat. My canning liquid also has a pinkish brown hue to it and the "seams" of the beans also have this color. What's going on canning gurus?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read online (because mine did the same thing) is that we canned beans that were a little past their prime. They should be fine to eat but might be a little more grainy than other canned beans
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