Pressure canning green beans

Years ago, pressure canners got a bit of a bad rap. My own great grandmother had one explode in her kitchen and injure her! So, that being said, for a long time I was hesitant to buy and use a pressure canner. I have found that pressure canning green beans is my favorite way to preserve them!

At some point, I realized if I was going to succeed at preserving the food we were growing on the homestead, I was going to have to educate myself and dive into the world of pressure canning.

The very first thing I ever pressure canned was green beans. It turns out this was a wonderful veggie to learn the process with.

Canning green beans is very simple and gives you confidence to move on to other foods like meat, potatoes, and the like.

The first thing you need to do is string and snap your beans. My husband and I love to do this together on the front porch and just talk about this and that while we get some work done.

When I am preparing to do the canning the first thing I do is put the lids in a small pot of hot water and bring up to a simmer to sterilize them. Similarly, I put my freshly washed jars in an over set to 180 degrees F until I am ready for them.

A few tools you will need are: Tongs, Jar lifter, Lid magnet, Clean cloth, Funnel, and Ladle.

Make sure all your tools are freshly washed in hot soapy water.

The pressure canner I use is a Presto. I studied the manual for days before I bit the bullet and tried using it. I highly recommend you do the same with your canner. While the canners of today have a lot of safety features, this is no excuse for carelessness!

My manual instructs me to add 3 quarts of hot water to my canner prior to putting the jars in. Yours may vary.

I also get a stock pot of water up to a boil. The amount of water you use will depend on how many jars you will be canning.

Once all of my tools are ready I rinse my beans under cool water thoroughly.

One by one, I take a hot jar out with my tongs. With the funnel in place, I add the green beans, packing them tightly.

I then add 1/2 tsp of salt per pint, or 1 tsp per quar

Next, I ladle the boiling water over the green beans leaving 1/2 inch head space. Also, I take a chop stick and remove any air bubbles in the jar.

I wipe the jars with a clean cloth and rub my finger along the rim to make sure it feels smooth. Using the magnet, I take a lid and place on the jar and then the band.

Place the jar in the canner and proceed with the rest of the jars.

When I am finished filling all the jars and have them in the canner, I inspect my lid. There is a hole in the valve that you need to look through to make sure it is clear before you proceed. Also, I check my gasket to make sure it is soft and there are no cracks. The rubber stopper also needs to be in place. This is a safety feature on my canner and it will not come to pressure without it in place.

I put my lid on and turn the burner to a pretty high temp. After a few minutes, the valve will start spewing steam. Once it starts, I set a timer for 10 minutes to allow the canner to vent. I adjust the temp to make sure it’s a steady steam.

After the 10 minutes, it’s time to put the weight on. My weight goes over the valve. I adjust the temp again to almost high until the weight starts to jiggle and the canner seals.

As soon as it starts to jiggle, I set my timer for 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts. I will adjust the temp periodically to make sure the weight isn’t jiggling too fast. You want a slow, steady jingle.

After the allotted time, I move my canner to cool burner and let it alone until the pressure falls naturally. NEVER ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE CANNER TO DROP PRESSURE!!!! THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS!!

After the canner’s pressure has dropped to zero, you can remove the weight and then the lid. Using a jar lifter, carefully move the jars to a cooling rack.