| Last year our family decided to start a home | | | | jar per 1/2 pound of green beans. |
| garden. We planted lots of green beans, peas, lima | | | | I decided that I'd can green beans in two different |
| beans, tomatoes and lettuce. We had a bumper | | | | lengths. I trimmed all the beans. Some I cut into |
| crop of produce. It was then that I decided to | | | | one inch pieces, some I left 3 - 4 inches long. The |
| learn how to preserve vegetables. Since we | | | | length is entirely up to you. Trimming the beans |
| couldn't keep up with the crop of green beans I | | | | can take some time, so depending on how much |
| learned how to can green beans first. | | | | you're canning you may want to have a helper |
| Canning green beans really is simple. I made sure | | | | for this job. |
| that I had all the equipment that I'd need and that | | | | You'll want to make sure the canning jars are |
| I had the time to dedicate to doing it. I should also | | | | clean. The jars can be boiled or run through a |
| tell you why I wanted to can beans instead of | | | | dishwasher using the sterilize cycle. |
| freezing them. Freezing beans takes no time at all, | | | | When you fill the jars leave one inch of space at |
| and no special equipment, but frozen vegetables | | | | the top for expansion. Once the jars are full you |
| only last 12 to 18 months in the freezer. Properly | | | | can add salt (or not). I added salt to the long |
| canned vegetables, kept in a dry environment | | | | beans, no salt to the shorter ones. This decision |
| where there isn't much temperature swing can | | | | was simply an experimental one to see if we |
| keep up to five years. Another reason that I | | | | prefer them salted or not. Remove any obvious |
| chose to can green beans was because of the | | | | air bubbles from the bottle with a spatula. Make |
| number of mature beans I had. Mature green | | | | sure the rim is dry and put on the lids. Don't |
| beans are the best to use when canning. | | | | screw them down tightly, just snug them. |
| It was easy to find quart size canning jars. You | | | | Now follow the directions on your pressure |
| can find them locally at places like Ace Hardware, | | | | cooker. It's a process of heating water, releasing |
| WalMart, Target and some grocery stores. Best | | | | pressure, pressurizing the cooker again and then |
| part is that the canning jars can be re-used year | | | | cooking. It's best to heat up the pressure cooker |
| after year, all you have to do is replace the lids. | | | | as you're filling the jars so it will be ready. |
| It's recommended you use new lids on the jars to | | | | Now you have plenty of your own home grown |
| help ensure proper sealing. So how many canning | | | | canned green beans to enjoy in your favorite |
| jars do you need? Figure that you need one quart | | | | recipes all year long! |