How to Can FRESH Black Beans
Learn how to can fresh black beans, using a pressure canner and shelling beans from your garden!
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Equipment
- a pot, for boiling the beans
- a second pot, for boiling water
- a heatproof strainer
- a pressure CANNER (not a cooker)
- pint or quart jars, with lids & rings
- a jar lifter, for handling hot jars
- a canning funnel, for filling the jar
- a chopstick or skewer, for air bubbles
- damp paper towel, for cleaning jar rims
- a towel to place the cooling jars on
Ingredients
- shelled, fresh black beans
- salt (1/2 tsp for pints, 1 tsp for quarts)
Instructions
- When you are ready to can, prepare the pressure canner by adding water to the level recommended by the manufacturer. (This is usually 2 to 3" of water.) Turn the heat to medium so it will start warming up.
- Fill clean jars about 1/3 to 1/2 with water & place in the pressure canner (to help them heat up and stay hot) or keep the jars hot in a dishwasher.
- Rinse the shelled beans with cool water, then carefully put them into a pot of boiling water.
- Boil a pot of water, then add the beans to the pot. Return to a full boil, then boil for 3 minutes. At this point, you can remove from heat, cover pot, and soak for 30 minutes to one hour IF you're extra concerned about phytic acid and lectins. (Though pressure canning for such a long time does destroy many, or perhaps all of those.) OR The way I initially learned to can fresh beans the "old timer way", we didn't soak for one hour after boiling. (I've done both ways & they both result in tender, digestible beans.)
- Place the canner on a burner and turn to medium, so it and the jars can start heating up. It doesn’t need to come to a boil, but should be nice and hot.
- Drain the beans, and discard the cooking/soaking water. Rinse the beans lightly with fresh water.
- Remove the hot jars from the pressure canner (discarding the extra water in each jar down into the sink) or from your dishwasher. Fill the jars up to the shoulder area with beans. (Don't overfill!)
- Place the salt in each jar. (1/2 tsp for pint jars; 1 tsp for quart jars)
- Add hot water into the jars, until the water reaches a 1-inch headspace. (This is just below the bottom line at the top of the canning jar.)
- Slide a chopstick or skewer down the sides of the jar a few times, to remove air bubbles. If needed, you can adjust the water level again.
- Wipe the rims of the jar with a damp paper towel, then apply the lid and ring.
- Set the filled jars down into your pressure canner, tighten the lid, place over high heat until a steady stream of steam comes out of the vent pipe for 10 minutes, or however long the manufacturer suggests.
- Check the notes for specific processing times & pressures (but it's generally 75 minutes for pint jars and 90 minutes for quart jars)
Notes
For a very rough estimate of how many jars you'll need - figure about 1 pint jar for every 1 1/3 cup of shelled beans. (Double amounts for quart jars.)
For a weighted gauge canner, process pints for 75 minutes, or quarts for 90 minutes, at 10 pounds of pressure. (If you’re above 1,000′ sea level, process at 15 lbs of pressure for the same amount of time.)
If you have a dial-gauge pressure canner, process pints for 75 minutes, or quarts for 90 minutes, at 11 pounds of pressure. (For higher elevation/altitude folks: if you’re 2,001 – 4,000 ft above sea level use 12 lbs pressure, 4,001 to 6,000′ use 13 lbs pressure, and 6,001 to 8,000′ use 14 lbs pressure.)