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??? about canning pinto beans


LivinSimple

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I've never canned pinto beans and I want to. I've read that you should cook them first and then can them.

Can you add meat such as ham or bacon to the beans when you are going to can them?

What about seasonings?

 

I have 100 pounds of dried beans that I need to start doing something with. It would be nice to just open a jar and heat up the beans when I'm wanting some.

Thanks for any help that you can give me on this.

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Check with pauline if she doesn't see this. She just posted over on 'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS WEEK TO PREPARE? PART 24' that she is canning dry beans.

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I either just put the dried beans in a large pot and cover with water and soak them for about 12-18 hours or cover the beans with water, bring to a boil and boil them a couple of minutes, then put the top on the pot and let them sit for an hour. Either way, after doing that, I drain the water, add fresh water and boil for an additional 30 minutes. I then add whatever spices and/or meats I'm going to be adding, pour into jars, leaving a 1" headspace and process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

 

The last time I used dried beans, I made baked beans. I still have some, somewhere stashed in boxes in the garage...lol

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Properly stored, dried beans will last for 5-10 years. Canned beans, if you follow the food police guidelines, will only last for one year. Plus, you have to go through the time and expense and time of cooking them and then canning them. Not to mention the increased space you need to store cooked vs. dried beans.

 

Because of this, I don't mess with canning cooked beans.

 

I do however, cook them every two weeks or so and I cook enough so that we have some to freeze in convenient 1-2 serving portions. When I take the last package out of the freezer, I put on another batch of beans in the crockpot.

 

This being said, I do have some commercially canned beans in our emergency food supply. I know they don't taste as good as homecooked beans but I'm a stickler for following the "used by" dates on things. And generally, the commercially canned stuff has a much longer shelf life than home canned.

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DH is cooking some of his famous pinto beans today, and I'm definately canning some of them!! He's making about 5 times what he normally makes so that I'll have some to can. Ladies, let me tell you. His beans are so fantastic! The only person who has ever made beans that compare is my step-dad, and they trade tips and hints (I would say they are about equal in their bean-making skills!!)!! I'm sure that dried beans last much longer, and we will definately be adding them to our list of storage items, but canning some will provide convenience foods for our sometimes hectic lifestyle!! We rarely eat out, but sometimes we're just too tired to cook!! Oh- and to the original questions, BBB says when canning mixed items, can for the longest amount of time of the individual items (except stated much clearer than that!!)- probably the meat!! (If there's meat, don't forget that it has to be pressure canned!!)

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Originally Posted By: daisies518
Oh- and to the original questions, BBB says when canning mixed items, can for the longest amount of time of the individual items (except stated much clearer than that!!)- probably the meat!! (If there's meat, don't forget that it has to be pressure canned!!)


Just to clarify: beans also require pressure canning.
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Thanks for all the input. I canned up 7 quarts of them last night. It seemed to take forever. I'll be opening a jar in a day or two to see how they taste. They tasted good before I canned them and they don't look like mush so I think I'm good.

 

I don't plan on canning all of the 100 pounds. I'm one of those people who doesn't want all my eggs in one basket. I like to freeze food, can food, and dry food. The only problem with having 100 pounds of dried beans, is if TSHTF, water might be a problem and I don't know of any way to cook beans without a lot of water. Especially over an open fire when we have no electicity. So, in that case, canned beans would be a blessing.

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I can some dried beans every year. I follow the steps outlined by Darlene (very well presented in her earlier post!) - however I only add a little salt for seasoning and just can the beans plain. The reason for that is that the canned beans are my "grab and dump" recipe generator food stuffs. By keeping them plain - I can use them in salads, make chili, make boston baked beans, and countless other recipes that call for canned beans. I also cook dried beans when I have time, but I work and I prefer to have some faster food options (but still from scratch) available. I have found that 18 quart jars and 12 pints are a good supply for a year for our family of 3.

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Originally Posted By: Darlene
I either just put the dried beans in a large pot and cover with water and soak them for about 12-18 hours or cover the beans with water, bring to a boil and boil them a couple of minutes, then put the top on the pot and let them sit for an hour. Either way, after doing that, I drain the water, add fresh water and boil for an additional 30 minutes. I then add whatever spices and/or meats I'm going to be adding, pour into jars, leaving a 1" headspace and process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.


Darlene, you are talking about using a pressure canner, right? These can't be done in a waterbath canner?
Stacy
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I either just put the dried beans in a large pot and cover with water and soak them for about 12-18 hours or cover the beans with water' date=' bring to a boil and boil them a couple of minutes, then put the top on the pot and let them sit for an hour. Either way, after doing that, I drain the water, add fresh water and boil for an additional 30 minutes. I then add whatever spices and/or meats I'm going to be adding, pour into jars, leaving a 1" headspace and process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

 

 

i do it this way as well as soaking overnight then changing out the water adding onion and peppers to those that i am seasoning or beef broth i like the convience of grabbing a jar or two and having a good filling meal cheap and easy the ones i add to are marked as such the ones done in plain water are marked as plain last few times i haven't cooked mine the 30 min. like Darlene just soak and can up and i can up my oldest beans so that they are rotated out into regular pantry for first use.

 

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Y'all have inspired me to make some beans -- 13 beans mix Yummy. Won't can them though, they will be gone with my three kids and I eating them.

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Dogmom4~I processed mine in a pressure canner for 90 minutes for quarts.

 

I opened a jar tonight to have some for supper. They were wonderful! I cooked my beans almost to the point of done, with some onion and bacon end pieces cooked in with them and then I pressure canned them. I am going to can more beans. These were great. I will also be canning some without meat and seasonings so I can use them for salads and such, to have a bit of versatility.

I'm hooked. I'll be soaking more beans this week for sure. Thanks for all your help. I sure do appreciate it.

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