# Has anyone tried canning brown rice like you can dry beans?



## Nancy (May 14, 2002)

Just wondering. Since it does take quite a bit of time to cook brown rice I was thinking that maybe I could can some up like I do dry beans to have on hand for quick meals. Soak the rice, put some in a jar, add boiling water etc. Sort of wondering about the time it would take. Probably not as long as beans. Looking forward to some experience from my friends


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Is the "etc." that you are then processing your beans in a waterbath?? Otherwise this sounds like poison-city to me. Thick stuff is harder to can safely due to air pockets. And with the time & work needed to can rice, even if it can be done safely, this doesn't sound like a logical time-saver to me. Let's say you think you'll have rice 3 times this next week or so. Why don't you just cook 3 days' worth at once, eat a third, fridge a third for a couple of days away, freeze a third for a couple days after that. Leftover rice doesn't hold up very well to longterm freezing, but a week won't see it dry or freezer-burn. Sue


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## RockyGlen (Jan 19, 2007)

an Amish friend gave me her recipe for canned beans and rice, using dried white beans, chicken bullion, and brown rice. I made a canner load (pressure canner) but my family did not like the consistency - which was somewhere between glue and soup. If you are interested, I will look and see if I still have it.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2008)

Rice of any type would have to be pressure canned unless you added some strongly acidic ingredients. By the time the processing time was up the rice would be near cooked to a mush. Not very attractive I'm afraid.

.....Alan.


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## Nancy (May 14, 2002)

I would pressure can like I do dry beans. I'm thinking I will give it a try anyway. Rocky I would appreciate the help if you can locate the recipe. I would do the rice seperately, not doing both together. I want the option to use it as a base for leftover chicken with a sauce etc.


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## RockyGlen (Jan 19, 2007)

This is for high altitude, so you may need to adjust the time

Beans and Rice

in each quart jar, put:

1/4 c. dry beans
1/4 c. brown rice
1/4 of an onion
1 t, heaping, minced garlic
1 t salt
1 t bullion

Fill with water, leaving 1 inch headspace

Process for 1 hour at 18 pounds pressure


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

If a person had unlimited time, unlimited space, an endless supply of canning jars, and ever so precious lids... oh, and an industrial sized canner (I've got a double decker, but it still only gets so much done)... it might be feasible.

Personally, I'd rather save precious jars (and I have probably close to a thousand jars) for fruits, vegetables, and meat. Stuff that can be stored dry, would be stored dry......especially since the dry grain takes up a whole lot less space, and less chance of something going wrong. Course, I have no use for brown rice, at all, as far as storage... It doesn't store well, except in the freezer... and freezers are for high value food (imho) like meat, instead of low value foods like grains and bread. I go with white rice, and store vitamins.

so, no, I haven't tried canning rice... I know Alan has talked about storing his rice in canning jars... I always defer to Alan, when it comes to food storage...


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## Lucy (May 15, 2006)

This is just information, so please, don't get upset with me.... I know some are against USDA...... 
Rice and other grains are not safe to can according to USDA testing. They are too dense to let the heat penetrate. They are considered a thickener, so are not safely added to soups, etc. It can lead to botulism. 
This is just a bit on their site for canning soups: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/soups.html
Soups
Vegetable, dried bean or pea, meat, poultry, or seafood soups can be canned.

Caution: Do not add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents to home canned soups. If dried beans or peas are used, they must be fully rehydrated first.

You can contact the University of Georgia if you want. 
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/contact_more_info.html


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2008)

Yes, I do store rice in canning jars (only basmati now), but it's DRY rice. Vac-sealed.

Lucy is right that many grains will act as thickeners which changes the heat flow characteristics of the food within the jar. Rice isn't a very good thickener in my opinion, but it will have that affect. Pressure canning it will just turn it into mush. 

.....Alan.


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## goatsareus (Jun 23, 2007)

I have canned long grain brown rice in a V-8 type juice. I used the timimg recommendations for a mixed vegetable juice, just guessing, 15 minutes at 10 (or 15?) pounds. It worked great. It is ready to add to soups. I only put one cup of rice in a quart jar, so it was not densely packed with rice.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Just invest in a rice cooker so you can start the cooking the rice for supper and not watch it.

I can't imagine spending the time and fuel to can rice.


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## Nancy (May 14, 2002)

sounds like I should give this idea up.


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## Tracey S (Jan 8, 2022)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Just invest in a rice cooker so you can start the cooking the rice for supper and not watch it.
> 
> I can't imagine spending the time and fuel to can rice.


I think its more that brown rice goes bad quickly and is no good for long term storage, so people are trying to figure out how to long term store it. White rice is easy but doesnt have the nutritional value


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