# Experience canning lentils?



## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Has anyone called lentils? How do they come out?

My black beans are pretty soft after caning, so I'm concerned that lentils would be even more so.

I have a recipe for corn and lentil soup that I would like to adapt for canning. But I'm concerned the lentils would disintegrate in the canning process.

(And before any one wants to lecture me about canning my own recipes, I would be following the NCHFP recipe for canning soups.)


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

I canned some sausage and lentil soup last year and it turned out well.


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

my experiance canning lentils is that they always turn out mushy id just dry can them


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

What do you mean by "dry can"?


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## salmonslayer91 (Oct 10, 2010)

well i guess its not really canning at all its just a way to store them air tight if you have the vaccum packers that can suck all the air out of jar and seal them great. if not, what i just do is fill pint jars with dry lentals, no head space all the way to the rim, place an old lid on that has all the sealant (not damaged) and tightly twist a ring on. they will keep for years this way much better then leaving them in a bag or if you grow them this might be the best way to store them


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Older lentils and beans can up better than fresh ones without getting mushy. I canned quite a bit of lentil soup this yr. My daughter loves it.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Well I think my experiment of canning lentils was an utter failure. I attempted Indian Spiced Corn and Lentil Soup. I only put 1/2 cup of dry red lentils in a quart jar, with a few other ingredients, and filled with boiling water. The lentils totally expanded and it looks like I have a huge jar of lentil mush. One jar didn't seal, so I'm going to experiment with it for dinner tomorrow - see if it is salvageable at all, or if I'm going to trash all the jars.


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## Merit (Jul 15, 2009)

Mushy things like that can often become something 'different', instead of trashing them! Unspiced beans hide nicely in pancakes and such, and add health benefits. I'd be tempted to mush your soup mush into a lump and fry it crispy, like you would potatos! Who know, might be delicious! Great flavor, and now it'd be a hash-brown consistency!!


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## Lucy (May 15, 2006)

They need to be fully rehydrated before canning. Then, follow the guidelines and fill half the jar with the solids and the other half with liquid. They should be fine, then.
The problem with the ones you have now is that they are too dense and botulism may grow. Density is just as important as ph when canning. The heat would not have penetrated the jars enough to kill bacteria. 
Since it has been more than 24 hours since you canned these, the safe thing to do is to dump the jars. Not open them or anything, I mean the jars and all.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Merit said:


> Mushy things like that can often become something 'different', instead of trashing them!


You are absolutely right. We finally got around to trying the unsealed jar last night. I dumped it in a pot, added another jar full of water, and then heated it up. It is "different" from the soup I was attempting to make, but it still tasted great. It was more the consistency of a pea soup - not my typical broth with lentils and corn in it. I would consider it a "winter" soup, not a "summer" soup.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I don't can lentils because they don't require rehydrating prior to cooking (because they are so small) and only require 30 minutes or so to cook, so why bother?


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