Canning methods can be very controversial, especially in the social media world. My Memaw Young pressure canned everything and my Nannie Logan was terrified of a pressure canner and she water bath canned, so I have experienced on both sides of the coin. There are some really strict Ball Blue Book canners and there are rebel canners. It is a good idea if you are starting out to do some research. I consult the Ball Blue Book quite often. I water bath tomatoes, pickles and fruit (high acid content). I pressure can everything else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
People can for different reasons. Some people can for convenience, some to save money, some to preserve what they have grown all year, some to capture the freshest taste and some so they will know exactly what they are putting into their bodies. I personally check off several of those boxes.
I am a bit of a snob when it comes to jars- I love Ball Mason jars. I have a friend that used Golden Harvest jars last year when jars were in high demand and hard to find. He had a good experience with those. You can expect jars to run $1-$1.50 each. If you find them cheaper, stock up. If you are just starting down the canning path, your money savings will come next year, when you reuse your jars.
I like to use pint jars for dried beans, mainly because there are only two of us in the house now and when there are more here, I can always open up more than one jar. Also, I wanted to share some of these with mom and the pints are more practical for both of us.
I started with 5lbs dried pinto beans. I soaked them in lots of water overnight. This morning, I poured off the water and rinsed them several times.
I washed the jars, rings and lids in very hot, soapy water with a splash of vinegar and rinsed them well. If I have time, I usually run them through the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher, but the dishwasher was full and sometimes life just happens. The lengthy processing time makes the handwashing process doable.
Always remember, put hot water into hot jars into hot pots. Put cold water into cold jars into cold pots. For today, I used room temperature jars/ room temp water/unheated pot. You absolutely could use the hot jar/ hot water/ hot pot method.
I placed 1 heaping cup of soaked pintos into each pint jar, this should fill the jar 2/3 full. I also added 1 tbsp chopped onions, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp canning salt to each jar and then filled the jar with hot water leaving 1 inch headspace. You can add anything you like, these are your beans. You can add bacon, chicken stock, vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin and the list goes on and on. Keep in mind whatever you place in the jar, the taste will be magnified during processing.
Take a butter knife, skewer or the end of a spoon and move the pinto around, removing any air pockets that may be in the jar. Amazon actually has a “canning kit” that includes a bubble remover and lots of other useful tools that you didn’t know you needed.
Take a clean paper towel and place a splash of vinegar on it and rub the rim of all the jars, this cleans and primes the rims for sealing.
Gently place on the lid and screw on the ring fingertip tight.
I have a Presto canner I purchased from a nearby hardware store. Be sure and read and follow the directions of your canner. I placed 3 quarts of water in my canner, placed the rack on the bottom, added a splash of vinegar and placed my pints carefully onto the rack. I placed another rack on top of those pints and placed another layer of pints on top. I securely closed the lid and turned the burner on high.
When the water begins to boil, steam will begin to come out of the “spout” on the lid. After there has been a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes, you can place your pressure gadget onto the spout. This will close the opening and allow the steam to build, creating pressure. I am located in Tennessee and the proper pressure weight for my area is 10lbs of pressure. After the pressure builds, your gauge will begin to climb. When it reaches 10 lbs you will need to lower the heat to keep it at a steady 10lbs. For pints, set the timer for 75 minutes. For quarts, set the timer for 90 minutes.
After the allotted time is up, turn the burner off and allow the pressure canner to do a “natural release”. This will take 30 minutes or more. Remember to always open the lid away from your face, as there will still be steam released.
Carefully remove the jars, set them on a towel, on the counter. Soon you will begin to hear to lids “ping”. This is the sound of the lid sealing. After a couple of hours, check the lids to make certain they all sealed. Any that did not seal, use immediately. After 24 hours, you may move them to your canning shelves or where ever you plan on storing them.
5lbs of dry pinto beans yielded 30 pints.
