How to Can FRESH Pinto Beans
Learn how to pressure can fresh pinto beans picked at the shelling stage 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 pinto beans
- salt (1/2 tsp for pints, 1 tsp for quarts)
Instructions
- When you're ready to can, prepare the pressure canner; add 2 to 3" water, or recommended amount by manufacturer. Turn to medium heat to start warming up.
- Fill clean jars about half-way with water & place in the pressure canner (to help them heat up and stay hot) or have your jars staying nice and hot in a dishwasher.
- Rinse the shelled beans with cool water, then dump 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. Now you have two options: The way I initially learned to can fresh beans the "old timer way", we didn't soak after boiling, but if you're concerned about phytic acid/lectins (though the lengthy pressure canning destroys most, if not all of those) you can cover the pot and soak the beans 30 minutes to 1 hour, then proceed with the recipe.
- 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 and fill them up to the shoulder area with beans. (Don't overfill!)
- Place the salt in each jar. (1/2 teaspoon for pints; 1 teaspoon for quarts)
- Add fresh boiling 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.)
- Use a chopstick or skewer to remove air bubbles. Adjust the water level again, if needed.
- 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.
- See notes for specific processing times & pressures, but it's generally 75 minutes pints, 90 minutes quarts.
- After processing and the canner has naturally depressurized, you can open the canner’s lid, then let the jars stay in the hot water for about 10 or 15 minutes before removing. Place the jars on a towel and leave completely undisturbed for at least 12 to 24 hours.
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.)