I’ve been wanting to try canning dried beans for a good long time and finally accomplished that goal.
Canning book instructions say to soak and cook the beans before canning. I wondered if it was possible to skip that step and looked around online.
I found Miss Lori at Whippoorwill Holler showing how she cans dried beans. You can see her video here.
She doesn’t soak nor cook the dried beans before pressure cooking. Since we’ve been following her and her husband Mr. Brown for so long we decided to try her method.
Canning dried beans was easy! And they turned out so good that we’ve already eaten three jars of them 🙂
We ate the beans like we usually do over cornbread, but I know they will be good in chili, soups, and even salads. Having them canned will make for a quick supper no matter how we use them.
I always give the disclaimer that you should follow the advice of canning experts, but I will share the method we used.
We used pint jars. Quarts can be used but the time of processing will be longer and the amount of beans needed will increase.
First I got my jars, lids, and taps ready. Next I looked the dried beans we were going to can and rinsed them in water.
In each jar we added half of cup of beans and half of a teaspoon of salt, filled the jar with water leaving a half inch headspace and put the taps and lids on. In a couple of jars we added a fourth of a teaspoon of bacon grease.
We pressure canned them at 10 pounds for 75 minutes.
For the first time ever we used a canning rack on top of our pint jars so that we could add more jars on top. Sort of a double decker canning set up. We learned that from Miss Lori too.
I’m so glad we finally tried canning dried beans. They turned out so well that I know we will continue to can them for years to come.
Last night’s video: Canning Dried Beans Instead of Doing Our Taxes.
Tipper
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just watched the video. That’s going to be easy to do and I excited to get started. Need to buy a pressure canner first though. Thank-you so much for sharing this.
P.S. I Love whipperwill hollow /Miss Lori & Mr Brown !!!
Do you and Matt prefer the beans canned with bacon grease, or without?
Jo-we really liked them both ways. We used such a small amount of bacon grease there wasn’t much difference. I think next time we might just leave it out or do quarts and add a piece of bacon or ham 🙂
Such a great idea ! I enjoyed the video & the conversation between you & Matt . I’m still laughing when things come to mind 🙂 Especially his opinions of kidney beans
To Debbie– I have my mothers National canner from many years ago, a 14 quart double decker one, and the original book that came with it–looked at it and found that it states 2 quarts water regardless of number of cans. This canner now is sitting in my unused fireplace as a treasured memory. As a young girl I helped mother can many a can of all manner of vegetables, meats, etc. on an old warm morning coal stove. Never canned dried beans, strung them to dry, stored, soaked and cooked in those long winter days, we called them LEATHER BRITCHES
I never heard of canning dried beans. I like the idea that they will keep almost indefinitely dried on the shelf but having the convenience of opening the jar at mealtime would make canning worth the effort for sure as well as knowing what is in them. I was taught using researched safety measures from the state agricultural extension service as I grew up and I wouldn’t want to take a chance on something going wrong any more than I would want commercial processors to can food any other way than what is determined to be safe. I appreciate that you tell people to use their own judgement as to the methods they choose. As for using a pressure canner, I grew up helping my mother and learned that the main safety rule is to make sure steam is escaping at the recommended rate but watch closely that the escape valve doesn’t get clogged up which builds up pressure. If the pressure gauge stops doing what it’s supposed to you can usually remove the canner from the heat and the pressure will reduce. Wait until it cools and the pressure goes down. Then you should be able to fix the problem and start over. My grandmother once pressured turnip greens in a small cooker (not in jars) and ended up with greens all over the kitchen ceiling and barely escaped getting burned badly. Mistakes can happen no matter how much safety measures are practiced. I used to can a lot with water bath and pressure canners but not much now. I also used a small canner to quick cook and tenderize ribs and other foods for meals. Those interested in learning should check with their local state agriculture extension service for information or possible classes. Thanks for sharing.
I picked my first jonquils Saturday. Only one was almost in bloom and two more were beginning to open a little. In a vase of water in the window they were open and a happy greeting yesterday morning. These are from an old house site and are always early. Two weeks ago I couldn’t see any coming through the grass at all!
Never thought about this. I will do. I worry about food safety over last year. So many recalls.
We need to take better control of our food safety
I learn so much from you and the group
I love canning dry beans! Such a blessing to have them ready on the shelf! Thanks for sharing!!
All American Canners makes amazing Camners. They have large ones that will hold 14 quart jars and 19 quart jars.
Yes, I’ve been canning dried beans for years. Love to have them ready to use. I do soak them overnight but don’t cook beforehand. So easy.
Many decades ago my mother had a pressure canner and unfortunately was so fearful of it she never used it as a pressure canner only as a water bath canner. After she passed away and I got the canner and also inherited her fear of it. So… I gave her canner away and bought a new one and have been using it for years and love it! Sounds silly, but the mind is powerful! I love dried beans so will definitely give this recipe a try. I’m almost 71 and learning so much from you Tipper! You can teach an old dog new tricks, haha.
Tipper & Matt – the finished results of your first attempt at canning dried beans turned out good! There is such beauty in seeing jars of home canned foods on the shelves. I have done a lot of canning over the years, but now not so much since it is just me – and I do freeze a lot too. I grew up with the horror stories of pressure canners blowing up & some getting badly hurt by it, so have never used one for that reason. Not as brave as some of you who do. 🙂 I also follow Whippoorwill – I found them about the same time I found you. “You’s all GOOD people!!!”
growing up in california, with a year-round growing “season”, canning just never came into it. as a matter of fact, even cooking vegetables at all didn’t much, and i still struggle to actually make veggie recipes, just generally preferring to eat them fresh. not beans, of course, and i do buy them dried, but never seem to get around to actually using them. and then when i do, they make so many that, living alone, i usually end up throwing 75% of them out! i just tossed most of the new years black eyes this weekend as i just can’t remember to eat them up! broke my heart twice because, in addition to the waste, they had been good!
I also follow Whippoorwill Holler and saw Miss Lori can the dried beans. Since I had never seen it done before, I found it really interesting and love the double stack canning process. I am so glad you tried this and had great success. They sure look delicious!!
Hearing the deer hunter talk about his grandmother (?) having a pressure cooker incident reminded me of my grandmother. She had a similar experience. She was cooking a whole pot of beans, not in jars, and a bean got wedged in the steam vent. The lid exploded off and beans went everywhere. It was so bad my grandfather had to repaint the kitchen ceiling! I also love watching Miss Lori and Mr Brown
I also learned to can dry beans from Ms Lori. I do put in a little bit of bacon, usually about a half slice. turns out perfect every time! so satisfying to get a jar and it tastes like I cooked them all day!
Tipper, I’ve also canned cabbage, and used it to make your cabbage patch stew!
I just watched your “canning beans” video from last evening. It was so interesting and fun to watch you and Matt talk and tease each other. The beans look beautiful. I have truthfully never used a pressure canner. They kind of scare me a little… probably because I have never used one. I always just water bath most food I can. I procrastinate about doing our taxes too. I finally just dived in the other morning and got them done. What a relief! We are expecting a snow storm here in wv tomorrow. Stay safe and have a great rest of your day everyone!
Brenda, my mother and grandmother often worked together canning things. They would only use a pressure cooker if they had to. They were always afraid or uneasy when using one. This was way back in 50 and 60’s, today’s pressure cookers are probably safer.
Randy- I am sure you are probably right that newer ones may be safer. Maybe I will get brave and try using one…but maybe not.
I like to look my beans first, soak them overnight in oversalted water then blanch them for a few minutes, drain them well and add back fresh water before I cook them. Maybe I’m am a little obsessive about my food but somebody’s got to be the oddball so everybody else can appear normal. You’re welcome!
I would like to have the convenience of being able to just open a jar of home canned beans for supper. Maybe I’ll experiment with combining the two somehow.
What qualified one as a “canning expert”? Is it a piece of paper in a frame on the wall or is it feeding your family for 70 years without killing not nary one of ’em?
Never heard of canning dried beans. A good thing about it is the beans will wait until winter when other canning that can’t wait is done. Incidentally, Bush’s beans began in Chestnut Hill, TN in the Appalachian Region. But their headquarters is now in Knoxville.
I follow Whippoorwill holler also and have watched her can beans—I appreciated your close up shots of your jars after they were finished canning and then of the beans on your cornbread because I have been curious how the beans looked after canning. They looked good enough to eat lol
I’ve never tried canning dry beans, but it sounds like a good idea. I, too, follow Miss Lori and Mr. Brown on Whippoorwill Holler. My mother canned a lot of different foods, but I don’t remember her canning dry beans. I probably won’t grow a big garden this year. The deer ate everything last season and my husband and I are getting too old to plant and tend to one. I would like to plant a few tomato plants and cucumbers.
Canning dried beans is time consuming, but like you say, it’s convenient when you can open a can of your own canned goodness and know for a fact exactly what is in those soup beans. I made enough pints to pressure can and I must say they went faster than I figured and were tastier than I imagined too. I used a beef bouillon cube in each can and they were delicious! I tell ya folks, the older o get the more I’m convinced the extra effort is well worth my time and “tweaking my buds” as Barney Fife would say! It turns out my place is in the kitchen and the home after all to keep those home fires going!!! There’s only pride in my accomplishments and good feelings about what I can do myself as opposed to a crummy grocery store. I just love the independent and can do attitude! Can’t never did anything and she’s still sitting on her laurels complaining instead of just doing and getting up off her duff!!!
Till I saw last night’s video would never have thought about canning dried beans.
I enjoy hearing these tips and tricks. love it!
I have been canning dry beans exactly like this for years! It’s so convenient and they are delicious!
Love Miss Lori. I do them in quarts when I have a leftover ham bone. I pressure cook the ham. Shred it and add the stock and meat to quart jars.
I have never known anyone to can dried beans, we just soaked them in water for awhile before cooking them. Now because of only being my son and myself, dry weather, and DEER, I do not try to grow or bother with dry beans, I just buy my beans already canned and cooked from a grocery store. I like the Luck’s brand the best, last week Ingles had them on sale 3 cans for $1. I still try to grow green beans and my Mississippi purple hull crowder peas. Last year, the deer ate everything I tried to grow except for my tomatoes and G90 corn.
I’ve been wanting to do this too. We have also followed Ms Lori and Mr Brown for years. I have a double stack canner, but have been unsure how much water to put in if I use it as a double stack. Can you tell me? I bought it used 25 years ago so it had no instructions. I have two canners always going so it’s much easier. Thank you for sharing! Prayers for Granny! I pray she is feeling good enough to do what she wants to.
Debbie-Miss Lori used three quarts so that’s what we did but your canner might need a different amount. You might try searching online for the amount needed. Someone might have used that type of canner in a video or blog post.
Debbie, there should be a mark inside canner, that’s the standard line. Fill your water to that line then put in rack and jars.
The amount of water would be the same for single or double stack, if the canning time is the same. Time is the factor in how much water you put in. The water escapes as steam as you cook. As long as you don’t cook all the water out of the canner it will be fine. If you are stilled worried then add a little more water. It won’t hurt, it just takes a little longer to come up to temperature.
You will love them. I’ve been doing this for awhile now and we just love them.