Pressure Canned Green Beans

Before we talk about Pressure Canned Green Beans, let me tell you a little story.Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a baby. Eight days later, she found herself in her kitchen. Barefoot. With an apron on. Though thankfully, no longer pregnant.She once again found herself hovering over a basket full of produce from the garden - tomatoes, onions, green beans, eggplant, and a variety of peppers - all begging to be preserved before their vitality left for the fall. As much as she wished the produce would hold off for another week... or two... or three, alas, it would not.Produce comes when produce comes. And homesteaders preserve, whether they feel like it or not.Which is exactly how this homesteader found herself in the kitchen - cutting the tops and bottoms off green beans from her basket, just freshly picked from the plants. Bean after bean, she sat patiently (or not so patiently) at the table, carefully inspecting each one to ensure it was of the utmost quality. (Okay fine, I made that last part up. There was barely any quality control involved. I was tired!).Ah yes, the season of the pressure canned green beans was upon Beatha Fonn. Pressure canned green beans - just the goodness of the fresh bean, filtered water, and a bit of sea salt. And as much as she resented the beans at this moment, she knew... ah yes, she knew... that she'd have the last laugh come the dead of winter when said green beans graced the table with their summer goodness. That was a long story to ultimately share my pressure canned green bean recipe with you. Ahem. But what would I be here for on this blog if not to share my words? I must be feeling poetic. Or perhaps extra long winded since I only talk to toddlers all day and my vocabulary barely goes past "No.", "Don't pinch your sister.", "Don't hit your brother.", "Take that out of your mouth." and "Yes, I'll come wipe you.".

Pressure Canned Green Beans

You will need:  - Fresh green beans - Filtered water (I use this filter) - Sea salt - Pressure canner (here's one that's exactly like mine!)1. Wash the green beans. Sit down with a glass of chai tea and your favorite show on the iPad and get to work cutting off the teeny tops and bottoms of the beans (I hate biting into one of those little things on the end... they gag me!). Some people may choose to skip this step, but I never do. Because I don't like gagging.2. Break the beans into 1-2" pieces - either using your fingers or a knife.3. Gently pack the cut green bean pieces into jars - either quart jars or pint jars will do just fine. I do pints because we don't eat a ton of the beans at once and I'd prefer not to have them leftover or have them go to waste. One of the cool parts about pressure canning is that you don't even have to sterilize the jars... they will get hot enough in the pressure canner to take care of that! Just make sure they're clean. 4. After you've filled your chosen jars with your chosen amount of green beans, add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to each pint jar OR 1 full teaspoon sea salt to each quart jar. Don't skip the salt. Only blandness with come of that.5. Boil a large kettle of filtered water. Once boiling, pour over the top of the green beans, leaving 1" of headspace in each jar. Wipe the rim of the jar of anything that could prevent it from sealing. Add a new lid and band onto each jar and gently tighten (don't overdo it!).6. Place the jars on the rack in your pressure canner (don't forget to do this!!!!) and add the designated amount of water for your pressure canner model - mine takes six cups of water. Seal the lid on the pressure canner, place it on the stove, and turn up the heat to medium-high.7. Once the release valve has released steam for 10 full minutes, add on your pressure/weighted gauge to seal in the steam. Bring the pressure up to 10 and maintain that pressure for 20 minutes (for pints) or 25 minutes (for quarts). After the time is up, shut the heat off and let the pressure canner naturally cool down until the pressure gauge reads 0. Wearing an oven mitt, take off the weighted gauge and allow the canner to slowly release the last bit of steam. Take caution when removing the lid, opening it away from your face (just in case there's any steam left). 8. Carefully remove the jars. Set them on a baking sheet or towel (never directly on the counter... they're HOT!!!!) and allow them to cool for 12-24 hours before transferring to long term storage. While pressure canning may sound like hard work, it's really not. Just a wee bit of babysitting to make sure the pressure remains where it should. And of course, it's important to follow the directions set forth in the pressure canner's manual. Don't worry - you're not going to blow up your kitchen with the canner. They make them with release valves now, baby.I don't do all of our green beans this way - many are pickled and a few are frozen, but I sure do love them like this too. It captures that delicious green bean flavor that is so welcomed come winter.I think you'll love them. Who wouldn't?!My husband. That's who. Green beans are his nemesis. Stuart + green beans = enemies4life.But at the moment, I'm not complaining. Less people eating them means less canning. And less canning means more time to snuggle this little hobbit:And there's no other way I'd rather spend my days.Happy canning, my friends!For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Pressure Canned Green Beans

• Fresh green beans
• Filtered water
• Sea salt
• Pressure canner

1. Wash the green beans. Then trim off the ends.
2. Break the beans into 1-2″ pieces – either using your fingers or a knife.
3. Gently pack the cut green bean pieces into jars – either quart jars or pint jars will do just fine.
4. After you’ve filled your chosen jars with your chosen amount of green beans, add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to each pint jar OR 1 full teaspoon sea salt to each quart jar. Don’t skip the salt. Only blandness with come of that.
5. Boil a large kettle of filtered water. Once boiling, pour over the top of the green beans, leaving 1″ of headspace in each jar. Wipe the rim of the jar of anything that could prevent it from sealing. Add a new lid and band onto each jar and gently tighten (don’t overdo it!).
6. Place the jars on the rack in your pressure canner (don’t forget to do this!!!!) and add the designated amount of water for your pressure canner model – mine takes six cups of water. Seal the lid on the pressure canner, place it on the stove, and turn up the heat to medium-high.
7. Once the release valve has released steam for 10 full minutes, add on your pressure/weighted gauge to seal in the steam. Bring the pressure up to 10 and maintain that pressure for 20 minutes (for pints) or 25 minutes (for quarts). After the time is up, shut the heat off and let the pressure canner naturally cool down until the pressure gauge reads 0. Wearing an oven mitt, take off the weighted gauge and allow the canner to slowly release the last bit of steam. Take caution when removing the lid, opening it away from your face (just in case there’s any steam left).
8. Carefully remove the jars. Set them on a baking sheet or towel (never directly on the counter… they’re HOT!!!!) and allow them to cool for 12-24 hours before transferring to long term storage.