# green beans: hot pack or cold?



## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I'm considering canning today's picking of green beans, something I haven't done before. The Ball Blue Book has directions for raw pack or hot pack.

Which way do you think is best?

thanks, mary


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Personally, I prefer to process as little as possible... so raw pack. I don't like my beans too soft.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Thanks. I was wondering if you end up with the jar only half full doing it this way, and if it matters. ?


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I blanch mine and hot pack. Only takes a few minutes so it's not adding a whole lot of time heated to the process (Though I also prefer to liimit processing and almost always raw pack meat). I do it because I find they lose a lot of air in just that short time, and don't like jars that look "half empty" after processing.

At least with green beans, they don't foam up like raw apples often do.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I don't consider blanching hot pack. I blanch mine, too, because the blanching water is always so nasty I imagine it'd look nasty in the jar otherwise. For hot pack you boil the beans for five minutes before packing, seems like a big difference from the 30-60 seconds you dunk them for blanching, imo. I actually was thinking blanching was part of the raw pack directions, but maybe it's just something I added in myself. LOL!


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I raw pack mine. I am now at 100 jars for the year so far and I still have bushes loaded with beans to pick.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I raw pack. I only blanch when I am freezing them.


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## Treelady (May 12, 2012)

I raw pack only too, never considered blanching first, might be something I have to try.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I don't know. If you like the product raw packed, why add the step?

I decided to raw pack. Canner is cooling down, so soon I'll see how they look.


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## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

I prefer to pack hot. It seems easier as the beans are more flexible. I bring them to a boil & boil about 5 minutes. For Southern cooking, they're already about half done when they come out of the jar.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

I raw pack mine..you have to pack them down really good so that you won't have a lot of empty space in the jar after they cook.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

mary said:


> Which way do you think is best?


I hot pack. I just think they taste better. I usually raw pack everything just because I go for the "easier" way, but with beans, I cook them first then pack.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

According to my kids we don't do either....we "dilly pack", lol. BUT that is done with raw beans....so another vote for raw packing.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

This will be my first year doing pressure canning. I can't wait until I get beans to put up. I was thinking of frenching them--love frenched green beans. So the question for me is french them before processing or when the jar is opened?


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I'd think you'd french them first. But I haven't done it.

I'm happy with the way the raw pack turned out. I was afraid they'd shrink and I'd have half a jar, but they didn't. They look great, jars still full.

Since, technically, I don't like green beans, I guess I'll have to see how DH likes them.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)




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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

I was thinking that too Mary. Is that chicken in the larger jars in your pic?


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Yes, HEB (Texas grocer) has chicken breasts on sale this week 99c/lb, so I had canned those in the morning.


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## Catalpa (Dec 18, 2011)

I frenched all my beans before canning. I imagine it would be hard to do after, when they're all soft. I packed them in quite tightly and raw packed. I've been very happy with the results, and I really like them frenched, I didn't do any of them just cut.


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

Canned some green beans today using the BBB cold pack process. After processing, the liquid level was down some in the jars. When the jars had cooled, the liquid level was even lower.

Thoughts about why the liquid level dropped so much?


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## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

I raw pack mine so they dont get too soft after pressure canning them.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

oneokie said:


> Canned some green beans today using the BBB cold pack process. After processing, the liquid level was down some in the jars. When the jars had cooled, the liquid level was even lower.
> 
> Thoughts about why the liquid level dropped so much?


That's what I was concerned would happened with cold packing, but mine didn't do that.

Might your pressure have fluctuated some? Did you let your canner cool down really good before you opened it?


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

mary said:


> Might your pressure have fluctuated some? Did you let your canner cool down really good before you opened it?


No. Yes. 
I opened the jars and added more boiling water and reprocessed. These jars may have mushy beans.


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## Vance71975 (May 24, 2012)

Here is the Recipe i use for canning my green bean. My GF is a bit of a Germaphobe so anything i can has to be pressure canned if i want her to eat it. The recipe was hers i adopted it to canning and it has served me very well.


1 lb Bacon cooked till crispy Save grease.

5lb beans

4 tablespoons Lawerys Season Salt

Clean and prep beans cutting off any bad spots or ends
Boil Beans for 5 mins in 1 gallon water with Lawerys
Strain beans reserving water and keep water at a boil
Add Beans to pan with Bacon grease and fry for 5 mins.
Add crumbled crispy bacon to beans and transfer back to the reserved boiling water. Dump grease and all into the boiling water.

Boil for 5 mins and then Hot pack into jars(yes add the chunks of bacon,grease and water all to the jars) Leave 1inch head space.

Pressure can for 90 mins at 15 psi.

These are a great side dish for pretty much any meal, if you want to increase the amount of bacon feel free, i have done as much as 5 lbs bacon to 5lbs beans and they become a meal in themselves.

These are also great to take on camping/hiking trips as the fat provides a good energy source when hiking.


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