# how to can beans? (dried ones, not green ones)



## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

I'm a canning newbie... I've dabbled a bit over the past few years. Jams, pickles, tomatoes, some soup.
My question is, I was thinking of cooking a whole bunch of beans (black, kidney, etc.) Then canning them? We use a lot of beans in our house, I have always bought canned beans because I'm too lazy to soak and cook dried ones. But the dried ones are so much cheaper. (And yes, one day I will grow my own. When we extened the garden in a few years...)
Do I water bath or pressure can them? Do you think it's worth my effort, or should I just plan more meals in advance so I can cook beans in time? 
Thanks!!


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Beans hav to be pressure canned. Here is a link to the instructions for how to can any dried beans plain: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/beans_peas_shelled.html

and here are the instructions for canning them in molasses or tomato sauce: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/beans_tomato_molasses.html

However please note that they are not cooked before hand. They cook while they are pressure canning. If you try to can already cooked beans they will end up as pasty mash in the jars.

There is one exception to the cooking and that is baked beans. Here is the instructions for them: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/beans_baked.html

Hope this is of help.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

For all the extra work, I think I'd school myself to soak the dried beans when I was ready to use them.


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

Thanks judylou! That's the kind of thing I was looking for.

I'm one of those people who decides on what's for dinner an hour before we need to eat. (I'm still working on that problem. My organizational skills SUCK!)


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## breestephens (Oct 29, 2008)

I love my canned beans.They are not that hard to can, I canned 21qts.of pintos last week. The only time I have to remember to soak more is when my jars start getting low.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

We LOVE homes canned beans. Chick peas are our favorite, makes hummus quick. I really need to do up a bunch with the cooler weather coming on.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Use Less said:


> For all the extra work, I think I'd school myself to soak the dried beans when I was ready to use them.


What extra work?

If you had a 5 lb. bag of beans and used them as you need them, you would have to soak and cook a cup (4 servings) of dried beans _each_ time you wanted them. Or, you could soak the whole bag in a big pot and can them in the same amount of time as cooking a small pot of beans. Now _that's_ extra work!

I buy beans at the grainery for about 50Â¢/lb and make my famous "Savory Bean Soup" (recipe from an Amish retaurant) by the boatload. Rather than spending half a day soaking and cooking a quart of soup I make it 7 qts (or more, depending on how adventerous I am) at a time and I'm done for a year.


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

suitcase_sally said:


> What extra work?
> 
> If you had a 5 lb. bag of beans and used them as you need them, you would have to soak and cook a cup (4 servings) of dried beans _each_ time you wanted them. Or, you could soak the whole bag in a big pot and can them in the same amount of time as cooking a small pot of beans. Now _that's_ extra work!
> 
> I buy beans at the grainery for about 50Â¢/lb and make my famous "Savory Bean Soup" (recipe from an Amish retaurant) by the boatload. Rather than spending half a day soaking and cooking a quart of soup I make it 7 qts (or more, depending on how adventerous I am) at a time and I'm done for a year.


That's kinda what I was thinking. We're veggies, so we eat beans lots. A few times a week for sure. 

You want to pass along that famous Bean Soup recipe?????


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## Caren (Aug 4, 2005)

I used to can my own navy beans too. Made a big difference at meal time. I could pull a meal together in about a half an hour using my canned goods and a biscuit recipe.


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

Thanks guys!
Gonna try it next week!


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## Goldie (Feb 18, 2009)

I also love having home canned beans of all kinds. It is surprising how often you go to the shelf and grab a jar of them. Very convenient.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

strawhouse said:


> You want to pass along that famous Bean Soup recipe?????


I posted this in the Online Recipe section also.

This is from an article on Amish Food in the June 1996 issue of Midwest Living magazine. It is served at Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana.

*Savory Bean Soup*

1 lb. dry navy or northern beans
6 c. water
6 c. water (again)
1 1-to-1 1/2 lb. meaty ham bone or smoked hock
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried thyme or sage, crushed (optional)

1. Rinse beans. In a covered 4 or 6 qt. stockpot, soak beans in 6 c. water overnight. (Or bring beans to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour.)

2. Drain off water and add 6 cups fresh water and ham bone or hocks. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

3. Remove ham bone or hock. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and coarsely chop the meat. Return meat to pot. Discard bones. Add onion and seasonings.

4. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 45-60 minutes more or till beans are tender.

Makes 6 main dish servings.

I make this soup in multiples and can it at 10 lbs. pressure for 90 minutes for quarts, 75 minutes for pints.


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

Sally, would the one pound of beans in this recipe make about two quarts for canning? Or so? It looks like a good recipe!

I was wishing today that I had a bean recipe to have to fill the canner with when I'm lacking a few quarts. Right now it's sitting there running and it's only got four quarts in a seven quart canner, but I just couldn't come up with three more cans of anything so it could be run full! I hate that! 

Jennifer


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

When cooking beans, you would use 1 lb. of beans for 6 cups of water. Think of cooking beans like you would rice - the ratio of 1:3 works well. One lb. of beans is usually 2 to 2 1/2 cups. But when you add the meat you extend the amount of product, but remember, this is a soup, so for canning, you want about half your jar filled with solids and the rest the "soup", therefore, this recipe would make about 3 to 3 1/2 quarts of soup, depending on how much meat is added. I use about 2 pounds of beans for a canner load of 7 quarts.

Hope this helps.


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## titiana (Sep 17, 2009)

How about Split Pea Soup?? I usually have ham stock left over, I wash my peas well and then let them soak overnight in the stock, then simmer the next day till mushy. But I always freeze mine.

Sooo, if I wanted to can, I could just put the peas in the hot stock heat up and then can and the pressure canner would cook them down for me right?? Or should I still cook them down? what would the ratio be for peas to stock???

(Not meaning to bust in on the thread)


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

suitcase_sally said:


> When cooking beans, you would use 1 lb. of beans for 6 cups of water. Think of cooking beans like you would rice - the ratio of 1:3 works well. One lb. of beans is usually 2 to 2 1/2 cups. But when you add the meat you extend the amount of product, but remember, this is a soup, so for canning, you want about half your jar filled with solids and the rest the "soup", therefore, this recipe would make about 3 to 3 1/2 quarts of soup, depending on how much meat is added. I use about 2 pounds of beans for a canner load of 7 quarts.
> 
> Hope this helps.



Thanks, Sally, that's just what I wanted to know! I'm going to cook up a batch. 

Jennifer


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Titiana, here is a recipe from the Ball Canning book for split pea soup. I have used it and gotten good results. Split peas don't require soaking overnight because they are so small.

*Split Pea Soup*

1 lb. dried split peas
2 qts. water (you can use the ham stock if you want)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, pared and sliced
1 cup cooked ham
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt, or to taste (adjust amount if using ham stock)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. allspice

Combine dried peas and water; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 1 hour, or until peas are soft. If a smooth soup is desired, press peas through a sieve (or blender), return to pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. If mixture is too thick, more water may be added. Pour into hot jars, leaving 1" headspace. Adjust caps. Process pints for 75 minutes, qts. for 90 minutes at 10 lbs pressure. Yield: about 5 pints.

Note: you can do multiples of this recipe. I triple it and get a canner load of 7 qts., plus lunch for the cook.


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## Ms.Lilly (Jun 23, 2008)

MMMMMM........I have made the Ball split pea soup and it is wonderful, in fact I think that is what I will have for lunch! We use lots of canned beans. Our favorite is canned pinto beans, just open a jar add some butter, cumin, jalapeno powder, salt and tada you have refried beans. Better than any refried beans you can buy in the store!

Lillian


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

Does anyone canned mixed beans? Like a bunch o' different ones in one jar to open and make salads and stuff quick? I buy them in the store.... are beans beans? Or is there some that shouldn't mix?


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I make the Hurst's Ham Bone 15 bean soup mix and can it, so I guess you can mix your beans. (The Ball book has a recipe for pickled 3 bean salad)


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## StephanieH (Mar 4, 2009)

I can pinto beans twice a year. It makes life so much easier to have them ready to go. I soak them over night then wake real early and put them in my roaster to bring them to a boil for 30 min. I pressure can them 90 min at 10 pounds. I get about 25 quarts done by 2:00 using 2 pressure canners. 

They seriously make suppers so easy when I come home from a long day at work!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Wow, Stephanie, that's some serious bean canning!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

suitcase_sally said:


> I posted this in the Online Recipe section also.
> 
> This is from an article on Amish Food in the June 1996 issue of Midwest Living magazine. It is served at Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana.
> 
> ...


I need to clarify something if you are going to can this soup.

When you get to step 4, this is where I put the soup in the jars and can it, rather than doing the additional 45-60 minutes simmer time.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

strawhouse said:


> Does anyone canned mixed beans? Like a bunch o' different ones in one jar to open and make salads and stuff quick? I buy them in the store.... are beans beans? Or is there some that shouldn't mix?


I canned a ton of dried beans last winter. I got some from the grocery store. Then I went to a health food store that has bulk bins of beans and got huge bags of different beans that grocery stores don't carry, like adzuki, fava, and cannellini. I ended up with about a dozen different kinds of beans.

I canned them separately. Then at the end I mixed all the leftover beans together and canned them. That turned out to be my favorite by far. I like the variety in the mixed beans. 

I can Calico Beans, which is basically mixed beans and crumbled hamburger meat or sausage and some chopped onion. Like this:
www.food.com/recipe-finder/all/calico-beans?Ns=recipe_mostpopular|1

You can buy big, cheap bags of mixed dried beans at the grocery store that comes with a "flavor packet" that is supposedly "cajun style," I think. I use about a quarter teaspoon of the flavor packet per quart of beans. (I use a minimum because it's mainly msg.) Then I add a little salt, and garlic and onion powders.

I've found the plain beans to be the most versatile. I can use the same jar of plain mixed beans to make baked beans or chili or soup or whatever.

Also, I ALWAYS put some Kombu in with my beans when I can (or cook) them. They make beans easier to digest (a delicate way of saying less gas)
www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=kombu+beans&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I loved canning beans on cold winters days. And all year I could just pop open a jar or two and have dinner ready in 10 minutes. One of our favorites was pintos dumped in a casserole dish, stomped a bit with the potato masher, and cheese on top. Heat it till the cheese melts and serve with tortilla chips. In summer I'd chop up some tomatoes to top it.

Or it's nice if I'm low on fresh veggies to open a pint jar of seasoned beans for a side dish.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Happydog, I learned something new today.

p.s. That doesn't look like a dog in your avatar.


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

happydog said:


> [/url]
> 
> 
> Also, I ALWAYS put some Kombu in with my beans when I can (or cook) them. They make beans easier to digest (a delicate way of saying less gas)
> ...


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

Where does one find Kombu? Is it readily available in national chains?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Since I grow about 50 varieties of beans annually, it's natural that I also enjoy eating them. I could argue either way as to storing them dry or canning. For bean soup, it's always the traditional overnight soaking. One wants some texture to the beans then rather than what amounts to having them twice-cooked. But for making chili with a short cooking time and where the beans are secondary, texture isn't all that important. But one can't beat old pork & beans as a quick accompaniment to a quick meal of sloppy Joe's and chips. And, they don't have to be canned as soon as you bring them in from the garden. It was either January or February of this year when I filled a number of jars with pork & beans. Didn't record the bean varieties used in each batch but all were good ones.

Martin


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