How to Can Green Beans the Easy Way – Raw Pack
Preserve your fresh green beans for year-round eating with this easy tutorial on how to can green beans. You'll never go back to store-bought after experiencing the flavor difference of homegrown and home-canned green beans!
Equipment
- Pressure Canner
- 9 Pint-sized Mason jars or 5 quart jars
Ingredients
- 9 pounds fresh green beans
- 4.5 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon per pint jar
Instructions
- Pick your green beans, avoid beans that have blemishes or rust spots, choose beans that are tender, and crisp when snapped.
- Rinse green beans thoroughly then strain. Trim off ends, string if beans are a string variety, and snap into 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch (bite-sized) pieces.
- Place pressure canner on stove-top and fill with rack and hot water, water level should be 2 to 3 inches deep.
- Turn burner on medium heat to keep water at 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil.
- Wash Mason jars and lids in hot soapy water, then rinse and set aside. Pro Tip: DO NOT boil the lids. Canning lid guidelines changed in 2014, and boiling the lids can affect their ability to seal. You do not need to sterilize lids or jars as long as you’re processing jars for 10 minutes or longer (which you definitely are when pressure canning).
- Place freshly washed jars on a clean towel on the counter.
- Fill Mason jars with green beans leaving a 1-inch headspace (space from the top of the green beans to the top of the jar).
- Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar (or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar). The salt is optional but does provide better flavor.
- Pour boiling water over the top of the green beans until the liquid level reaches the 1-inch headspace.
- Use a canner bubble/headspace tool (or ruler if you don’t have a headspace tool) to remove air bubbles by running it between the glass and outside of the food. Re-measure your headspace and add additional water if needed.
- Use a damp cloth and wipe the rim of your glass jar. This helps ensure there’s nothing that will inhibit a seal from forming.
- Place lid and canning band on and tighten to fingertip tight (over-tightening canning bands can cause lids to buckle). Carefully place in the prepared pressure canner.
- After the ten minutes of venting, add your weight or jiggler and slowly bring up to 10 pounds of pressure (for weighted gauge) or 11 pounds of pressure (for a dial gauge). if you’re zero to 1,000 feet above sea level and if 1,001 feet above sea level use 15 pounds, start timer when pressure is reached (weight should be rocking and hissing). Process for 20 minutes for pint jars or 25 minutes for quart jars.
- Remove jars from the canner and carefully place them on a towel-lined surface.
- Allow jars to cool, undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before removing bands and checking seals.
- Wipe the jars clean, label and date them and then store in a cool area out of direct sunlight.
Notes
- The beans will be the crispest when picked in the morning. Only use blemish-free green beans.
- Use the salt, beans will be tasteless without it (ask me how I know). Always use canning salt or sea salt with NO added anti-caking agents or ingredients, regular table salt is not recommended.
- You’ll need 1 pound of green beans per pint or 2 pounds per quart jar
Nutrition
Serving: 1pint jarCalories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 1190mgPotassium: 957mgFiber: 12gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 3130IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 169mgIron: 5mg
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