Dry BeansWhen canning dry beans you will need an average of 5 lbs of beans per canner load of 7 quarts. If canning dry beans in pints you will need an average of 3 and ¼ pounds per canner load of 9 pints. This works out to around ¾ of a pound of dry beans per quart.
saltOptional
Instructions
Soak your beans: Place dried beans in a large pot and cover with water. Soak your beans for 12-18 hours in a cool place. Note: Your beans will swell as they rehydrate. Make sure you have left enough room for them to expand. If you don't have enough time to soak your beans overnight you can also quickly hydrate your beans by covering your beans with water in a saucepan. Bring your beans to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and soak your beans for 1 hour. After the soaking period for either method of rehydrating your beans, drain off soaking water.
Prepare your Pressure Canner according to Manufacturer instructions.
Clean jars and lids with warm soapy water. Ensure the jars do not have any chips or bubbles in the glass. Heat jars in hot water.
Cover your beans in the pot with new water and bring to a boil. Boil your beans and water for 30 minutes.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart jar, if desired.
You might want to have some extra boiling water on hand in case you do not have enough water for your jars. I use an electric kettle to have additional boiling water if needed.
Fill the hot jar with beans and cooking water, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Remove air bubbles with a de-bubbler and adjust the headspace as needed by adding more cooking or boiling water. Wipe the rim to ensure a good seal is made with the lid. Center the lid on the jar and screw the band down to fingertip tight.
Place jars into the pressure canner using your jar lifter. Repeat steps 5-8 until all beans have been used.
Adjust the water level in the pressure canner if needed, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Vent steam for 10 minutes, then close the vent. Continue heating your pressure canner to achieve 10 lbs of pressure (Make sure to adjust for your altitude) and maintain that pressure for the entire cooking time.
Process Pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes. Set a timer so it is much easier to remember how long you need to pressure can for.
Turn off the heat when the timer is complete. Let pressure return to zero naturally. Wait 2 minutes after the pressure gauge reads 0, then open your vent. Remove your canner lid (making sure to lift it away from you so you don't get burned by the steam).
Leave jars in the pressure canner for 10 minutes after you remove the lid. Using your jar lifer carefully move the jars onto a wire rack or kitchen towel to allow them to cool. When moving the jars try not to tilt them to the side as this could affect the seal of the jars. Allow your jars to cool for 12-24 hours before handling.
Once cool, remove the canning rings from the jars. Wash your jars off to ensure no food residue on the outside of the jar from processing. Label your jar with the name of the recipe and date. This will help you remember what recipe you used to can and the date will allow you to use the oldest canned goods first.