# How do YOU can dry beans?



## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

I am just wondering because there are all different methods all over the internet and I would love to know what you all (my trusted canning friends) think is the best way to do it. I have never canned dry beans before because this is my first summer with a pressure canner and I am waiting until everything slows down to buy some dry beans and try it. my ball blue book says 2 1/4 pounds per quart jar...that seems like a lot for just one jar....


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Depends on my mood and how far ahead I've thought about it on how I do it. If I am spur of the moment or needing to finish filling the canner with something....I just fill the jar 1/3 full of dry beans...add water and can.

If I'm thinking ahead I soak the beans over night....fill the jars, add water and can. I never get the right number of beans soaked....so I usually finish filling the caner with the 1st method mentioned.

End result....2nd method still has some liquid in the jar when the canning is done. 1st method, all the liquid is sucked up and it's harder to get the beans out later (but not hard....you need a spoon, verses just pouring them out). Once they are in the pot of whatever I'm making there is no difference between how method 1 or 2 turns out.....same as store bought, just less salty


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

My method is similar to Ohio Dreamers, fill the jar 1/3 full of dry beans and the liquid is whatever I happen to have that needs to be canned up, I have used broth, beef or chicken, or tomato juice. I have added smoked neck bones (pork) or cut up leftover ham, bits of leftover chicken or burger (usually just a bit for flavor) and salt.

While I wouldn't describe my canned beans as dry, they don't pour out but need to be scooped from the jar.


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

Do you keep time the same regardless of method?? ball blue book says 1h15m for pints and 1h30m for quarts


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Here is a wonderful thread from a while back, has great discussions on this, plus my recipes for Southwest Pepper beans and Pork 'n Beans!

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...rving-harvest/357569-canning-dried-beans.html


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

Werforpsu said:


> Do you keep time the same regardless of method?? ball blue book says 1h15m for pints and 1h30m for quarts


Yes I keep the time the same. Sometimes if I'm canning meat and don't have quite enough jars to fill the canner I will quick throw a jar of dried beans together and run a full canner load.


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

Homesteader said:


> Here is a wonderful thread from a while back, has great discussions on this, plus my recipes for Southwest Pepper beans and Pork 'n Beans!
> 
> http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...rving-harvest/357569-canning-dried-beans.html


Thanks! I read every post there so now I am feeling a little more confident. It will certainly not happen until I am out from under tomatoes and peaches BUT. I would like to try eventually.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I do the whole rigamarole of soaking and cooking before canning. Mostly as I took too many microbiology classes to not follow USDA canning rules  But I don't always cook them a full 30 minutes before canning, I tend to heat them to boiling and the time depends on what else is going on. 

I'd be careful canning kidney beans dry as there is something in the coating of the bean that needs to be rinsed, can be poisonous if I remember right. They are always supposed to be rinsed well after soaking. Maybe just draining and rinsing well after dry canning does the trick. 

Some beans can much better then others. White beans tend to turn to mush. Garbanzo's are great (much better texture than store canned) and then easy to throw in soup or make hummus. Black beans and kidney beans are good. Pinto's get soft, but if you're making refrieds out of them that's fine.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Werforpsu said:


> I am just wondering because there are all different methods all over the internet and I would love to know what you all (my trusted canning friends) think is the best way to do it. I have never canned dry beans before because this is my first summer with a pressure canner and I am waiting until everything slows down to buy some dry beans and try it. my ball blue book says 2 1/4 pounds per quart jar...that seems like a lot for just one jar....


My Ball book says 3/4 lb. per quart. One lb. of dried beans is equal to about 2 cups, so 3/4 lb. would be about 1 1/2 cups. After soaking that would be about 3 cups. That sounds about right for how I do it.


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

suitcase_sally said:


> My Ball book says 3/4 lb. per quart. One lb. of dried beans is equal to about 2 cups, so 3/4 lb. would be about 1 1/2 cups. After soaking that would be about 3 cups. That sounds about right for how I do it.


that makes a lot more sense


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

I use the method someone posted in a thread here. 1/2 cup of dried beans for a pint jar and 1 cup for a quart jar cover with water and soak overnight. Drain and cover with boiling water and then pressure can for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts. I do 15 pounds pressure since I'm at 3000 ft and I'm using the weighted gauge. I did double check the times with USDA. One thing I like about this method is that it's easy and the beans always end up at or below the water line once they are done canning.


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

Here is the link to the other thread on this subject

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...rving-harvest/427978-canning-dried-beans.html


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## MOSSYNUT (Aug 8, 2014)

I hate to :hijacked: but can you just put them in a jar with an oxygen absorber?


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

MOSSYNUT said:


> I hate to :hijacked: but can you just put them in a jar with an oxygen absorber?


Cooked beans can be dehydrated and then reconstituted easily. The dehydrated beans could be packed with an oxygen absorber. 

Is that what you mean?


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

MOSSYNUT said:


> I hate to :hijacked: but can you just put them in a jar with an oxygen absorber?


 
Yes, but don;'t add water,,:hysterical:

I have a lot done that way................and you can use any glass container with a lid or hard sided plastic containers.

We pressure can some to use for a quick meal.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Vosey said: "White beans tend to turn to mush."

Now I don't have that problem at all. I use Great Northern Beans almost exclusively. I now use the pre-soak, pre-cook a bit method and my beans are never mushy. I can at 12# pressure, I wonder Vosey are you at 15# pressure? Maybe they get mushy from that?


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

My first time doing great northerns was this year and I did the soak in the jar overnight then can method and they were mush. It could have been that these beans were freshly dried since I did buy them in the bulk bin at our local health food store that gets a good turn over. I don't know. I wasn't happy though. I bought more and I'm going to try canning them from dried without soaking.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Homesteader said:


> Vosey said: "White beans tend to turn to mush."
> 
> Now I don't have that problem at all. I use Great Northern Beans almost exclusively. I now use the pre-soak, pre-cook a bit method and my beans are never mushy. I can at 12# pressure, I wonder Vosey are you at 15# pressure? Maybe they get mushy from that?


I think that plays a role. I can at 15# with a weight, but if I had a gauge it'd be 12#. But my kidney, black and garbanzo's all turn out well. My pinto's and white beans (these are small white beans) turn mushy. Pinto's are not an issue, since I make them into refried beans.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Melesine - just a thought here, when I soak I only soak them for about 45 minutes, then pre-cook them for maybe 20 min. Maybe soaking overnight is too long for your beans or your processing?

In the past I tried the technique of placing dried beans in each jar. I found that the very center of the bean was still a bit crunchy. Figuring this could not be safe I started the pre-soak pre-cook. The difference was amazing. So I'm thinking the long pre-soak could be the reason you're having mush.


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## Gardnpondr (Jun 16, 2009)

Werforpsu said:


> I am just wondering because there are all different methods all over the internet and I would love to know what you all (my trusted canning friends) think is the best way to do it. I have never canned dry beans before because this is my first summer with a pressure canner and I am waiting until everything slows down to buy some dry beans and try it. my ball blue book says 2 1/4 pounds per quart jar...that seems like a lot for just one jar....


I think that must be a misprint. I bought about 2 pounds of chick peas and got 12 pints from it. MAY have been 2-1/2 pounds. Been awhile so I can't remember. I always cook mine some as well as soak them so they will get all swelled up before I put them in the jar.


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

Just wanted to say, I don't can beans. But, we frequently make dry beans in our electric pressure cooker. Works awesome, and its super quick. It also takes less time and space to store the dry beans.

Takes a little practice to determine times, but the longest it's needed for any types so far is 30 minutes.

Don't know if that would be a practical option for how you're running your kitchen. For me, I wish I'd tried it years and years earlier!


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

Yeah, I bought about 2 lbs of kidney beans and did a full overnight soak plus pre cooking on them. I got 9 pints. The beans are goodaybe a little more soft then store bought, but I have been happy with them.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Vosey said:


> I do the whole rigamarole of soaking and cooking before canning. Mostly as I took too many microbiology classes to not follow USDA canning rules  But I don't always cook them a full 30 minutes before canning, I tend to heat them to boiling and the time depends on what else is going on.
> *
> I'd be careful canning kidney beans dry as there is something in the coating of the bean that needs to be rinsed, can be poisonous if I remember right. They are always supposed to be rinsed well after soaking. Maybe just draining and rinsing well after dry canning does the trick.
> *
> Some beans can much better then others. White beans tend to turn to mush. Garbanzo's are great (much better texture than store canned) and then easy to throw in soup or make hummus. Black beans and kidney beans are good. Pinto's get soft, but if you're making refrieds out of them that's fine.



Soaking and rinsing doesn't do anything for the toxicity. They have to be cooked properly.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm071092.htm


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I helped can pintos at our cannery they were soaked overnight then put in the jar or can with a small chunk of salt pork then processed for 90 mins, at 15 pounds . I have heard of oven canning dried beans without water in the oven but have only done this with walnuts . I wonder if this is a safe method putting dry foods in a jar in the oven at 300 degrees for an hour ?


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

arnie said:


> I helped can pintos at our cannery they were soaked overnight then put in the jar or can with a small chunk of salt pork then processed for 90 mins, at 15 pounds . I have heard of oven canning dried beans without water in the oven but have only done this with walnuts . I wonder if this is a safe method putting dry foods in a jar in the oven at 300 degrees for an hour ?


What is the point of "dry canning" beans? I can them so they are ready to eat when we decide to have beans at the last minute. Just vacuum seal the jars of dry beans beans.


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