Perhaps you’re like me and have some dried beans on hand that you keep forgetting to use. After all it’s so much easier to open a can of beans rather than remember to soak the dried beans overnight so they’ll be ready to use in a recipe. The solution: can your dried beans using a pressure canner. Once they are canned they are ready to use for any instant meal just like a can of beans! Canning dried beans is much easier than you think!
First cover the beans with cold water and let them soak for 12-18 hours in a cool place. Make sure the pot is large enough to allow for expansion, when I got up in the morning the lid to the pot was raised up because the beans had really expanded! Drain the beans and then cover with at least two inches of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes, stirring as needed. While the beans are boiling have some jars heating in a water bath. Pack hot beans into hot jars, leaving one inch of headspace. Add ½ tsp of salt to pints and 1 tsp to quarts, if desired. Ladle boiling cooking liquid over the beans. Leaving one inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar clean and place hot, previously simmered lids on each jar. Screw down ring firmly. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner.
Canning Dried Beans is a wonderful way to stock your pantry with beans that are ready to use for any meal. I think I’ll use them in my Black Bean Cassoulet recipe, the perfect recipe for a cold winter night. If you’re interested in this recipe please stayed tuned! I will share it when the snow is a little deeper!
Nancy on the Home Front 