# Canning versus Freezing.



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I haven't canned in quit a few years and I only canned just briefly from the time my mom passed away and to the time I married. After marrying I kind of left canning up to my wife. Which she done for a while. But now days I'm divored and still have the kids with me. So I really need to get in gear once again and put up food to save on expenses. Grow a big garden, etc., and just be as frugal as I can master. But which would be the best, canning or freezing?

So the other day I bought a great big ham to slice up and put in the freezer. I put about ten 1-pound packages of sliced ham up in the freezer, 2 ham bones went in the freezer, and now I've got this big peice of cured fat skin that I'm going to make my own "Pork & Beans". 

Should I try my luck and can a bunch of beans with a cube of pork in it, or just cook up a great big batch of beans with pork in it and then divide it up inot quart size freezer bags and freeze it? Which would be the best?

I guess what I'm asking is does anyone ever freeze cooked pinto beans? I'm thinking of cooking a big batch so when summer comes I wont have to heat up the kitchen so much just to have some good brown beans to eat on.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Either would work, so I guess the deciding factors would be how much freezer space you have and whether the power to your freezer is reliable and affordable.

Personally, I can all my pork-n-beans type recipes. Normally I make big batches and then divide it up into jars with an extra chunk of pork, ham or bacon in each jar. It's so much easier for me to grab a jar off the shelf to reheat pronto than to dig in the freezer, wait for it thaw, etc. and I don't have to pay all that power to keep a big freezer going.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

You may have a point there PlicketyCat. I have been thinking of canning more and try to reduce the size of my freezer. Smaller freezer should mean smaller electric bill. In about 5 1/2 more years my youngest daughter hopefully will leave for college and then I will be home by myself. Wont need such a big freezer anymore. Hopefully I could just get by with the freezer on my refrigerator only. So maybe I should can the beans so I can start getting use to canning everything.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Long term, it's usually better to use a low-power preservation technique (canning, dehydrating, etc) for nearly everything that can be preserved that way and save the freezer for things that don't can/dry well or for temporary storage until you have time to preserve it some other way.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I try to use my freezer just for small leftovers, bread, meat like steak that I wouldn't can. I say try because sometimes life gets in the way and it's easier to throw it in the freezer! But I don't have a microwave so thawing takes more forethought than opening a jar. I use my home canned goods more than I get something out of the freezer as they are ready to go. 

Oldcountryboy - if you already have the equipment for canning, learn how to do it again. Beans are a great place to start. You save a ton over store bought cans of beans. If you canned once a week you'd start building a pantry in no time. And it gets pretty addictive!


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

And *Oldcountryboy*, this is the perfect time to can beans (and meat) - no other produce to steal your time. I don't cook my beans first, since they pressure can in pts for 90 mins. I think if you just soak them overnight, you will be happy with the result. You can put up Northern beans, Pinto beans, Black beans, Kidney beans, etc. Then you can put up Pork & Beans, Refried Beans, Chili Beans.

If you're a little apprehensive about getting back into it, I would suggest starting with the Ball Blue Book for some good basic instructions and recipes. Then........do you have a canning member of HT that lives near? It would be extra nice to can with someone a time or two.


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

like has been said i use freezer for small mounts that wont make a canner full. long term storage for cammed stuff can be years. imo pork in freezer is about 6 mo. cannes stuff on shelver dont get lost and you can tell what it is unlike some freezer stuff


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## Just Little Me (Aug 9, 2007)

I used to do all freezing. Then a tree fell on the side of our house. It was weeks to get the power restored (had to bring to code). We lost all our freezer food. Now I store all three ways, Can, dry and freeze. Safer to me.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Vosey said:


> Oldcountryboy - if you already have the equipment for canning, learn how to do it again. Beans are a great place to start. You save a ton over store bought cans of beans. If you canned once a week you'd start building a pantry in no time. And it gets pretty addictive!


d

Yep, I still have all the equipment and have a few canning jars in storage. Since it's been a while since I've used the canner, I probably need to have the gasket checked out or just replace it if I can find another one. 



Marilyn said:


> And *Oldcountryboy*, this is the perfect time to can beans (and meat) - no other produce to steal your time. I don't cook my beans first, since they pressure can in pts for 90 mins. I think if you just soak them overnight, you will be happy with the result. You can put up Northern beans, Pinto beans, Black beans, Kidney beans, etc. Then you can put up Pork & Beans, Refried Beans, Chili Beans.
> 
> If you're a little apprehensive about getting back into it, I would suggest starting with the Ball Blue Book for some good basic instructions and recipes. Then........do you have a canning member of HT that lives near? It would be extra nice to can with someone a time or two.


Oh I know if I can just make myself do it, I can do it? Problem is to get everything prepared for the final happening. Get the jars washed up, buy some lids, have the county extension office check out the canner (they do it for free), and then find a good day that I don't have anything going on. (Good luck with that!!!). 

======================================================


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

I do beans once a year. I just did my 19 pints - soaked overnight, boiled in fresh water the next morning for 30 minutes, and did taco seasoned black beans, BBQ pinto beans, and chili seasoned kidney beans, all in one go. 

I hate soaking and cooking beans, so if I can do enough to last me a year, more's the better!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I eat beans much more frequently if I've canned them in pints rather than having to remember to soak the night before. Canning from dry saves us over $200 a year over buying commercial canned by the case... and cuts the meat bill a bit as well. 

I normally do a case of cowboy beans (black, pinto, kidney, corn, tomatoes & chiles); a case of navy beans with bacon; a case of black-eyed peas and ham; a case of smoke/grill pinto; case of beans & franks; a case of cannelini with peppers, onions & garlic; 4 cases of chili; and 6 cases of baked beans. And maybe an assortment case of whatever might be left over plain. That usually ends up being enough for a bean dish at least once a week for two people.

I find that 4-5 lbs of dry beans in a 5 gallon bucket soaked in 3-4 gallons of water overnight is usually enough for a case of pints. Other than the chili and baked beans, I don't precook them and just soak to plump them back up... keeps them from falling apart and getting mushy in the jar. When you know you're going to do it all at once, you can make a day or two of it and then it's over for another 6-12 months.

ETA: the only dry bean I don't can are lentils since they don't need a long presoak or cooking.


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