This was a new one on me. Check out this video.
I was intrigued and I had to try it. One internet commenter asked why one would bother. Why not just make them in a pressure cooker? For me, some beans like baby limas or garbanzos, I just want a little bit. I don't need a whole pot. I also like the idea of beans in my larder, ready to go with just a little heating up.
I bought a pressure canner (yes, I know I'm a little obsessive) and went to work. I differed from Aunt Duddie in that I added 2 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of Oregano Indio and about a tablespoon of olive oil in each jar before filling them with boiling water. I did everything else as suggested and guess what? They came out great.
I can't wait to try this with different types of beans and see how they do.
My concerns, and if you are a canner i'd love to hear what you think, are the olive oil and garlic. Will this remain shelf-stable even though I added oil? Does it make any difference.
I heard all the jars "ping" and I checked their seals this morning and the lids are on tight.
One other concern is I left some head space but some of the beans continued to suck up the liquid and the head space is more than recommended. Does this extra air matter?
Now I'm fantasizing about soups and chili. What do you think?
Our preservationist: “Concern: think confit; garlic in oil is an anaerobic environment. Canning garlic with oil in combination with possible improper canning can lead to botulism, particularly with the addition of protein in the beans.” Headspace is also an issue as it will weaken your seal over time; equalling the other end of spoilage. Botulism will give you no indication of its existence. She suggests ‘not’ using olive oil and cooking & pickling your garlic prior to using. You may wish to refrigerate these or use as soon as possible. When canning proteins, meat or otherwise, make sure you are either following a specific canning recipe AND OR monitoring your ph. Sorry for the scare tactics, but botulism is serious.
Neither the garlic nor the oil should be problematic . The extra headspace isn’t an issue either. If the tops sealed then you have a vaccum and will be fine.
Thank you both. I love that within one minute I got two responses and the exact opposite info!
I will experiment w/o oil and see if that makes a difference. Without using oil, I’m sure the garlic won’t be a problem. I want to see the difference in flavor.
One interesting thing to note was that one teaspoon of oregano indio was much stronger like this than it would be if I’d added dried to a stovetop version.
This is a lot of fun for me.
I would avoid the oil but have not had problems with garlic. In fact, I have black beans in the canner as we speak. They were started in a slow cooker with onion, garlic, cuban spices, and andouille sausage. They smell wonderful!
While the beans were not cooked through as I put them in jars before processing, they will be fine once processed and will hold their shape. I fill the jars 2/3 with partially cooked beans and fill the remainder of the jar with water to 1″ head space. The beans will continue to absorb water in the canner, hence the fluid drops down. No big deal as they stay moist in the jar.
For questions, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Do Not dry can beans. People do but they are running a risk.
I will be experimenting with Corona and Ayacotes and will let you know how it goes.
I pressure canned 9 pints of beef soup using one pound of Royal Coronas and the flavor and texture was sensational! The beans were partially cooked before canning and held up very well to the 90 minute required processing time. Maybe the best beef soup I have ever made!
This sounds awesome, but I was worried about it too. I asked my county extension office (the experts) and this was their reply:
Here’s the response to your question:
We do have safe instructions for canning dried beans. They turn out great.
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_peas_shelled.html
There are even tested recipes for canning them in a tomato or molasses sauce
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_tomato_molasses.html
I am very concerned about the safety of the instructions you found for adding oil to the canned beans. It will change the heat transfer in the jars and could make them unsafe. Before using those instructions I would confirm that they had been carefully tested by a certified food testing lab or food processing specialist.
Hope that helps you too!
Given the amount of onion and garlic, neither should be a problem adding them to canned beans. The only concern with adding oil is that it may interfere with the seal. Before placing the lids on, I usually wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar to make sure there isn’t any oil residue.
I know I’m about four years late to comment here, but I plan to can some of my Rancho Gordo beans (it’s just one person here, and I don’t want them to sit another year!) and I was looking for recipes, particularly information on which kind of beans work the best. I’m a fairly experienced canner, and my only real comment that’s worth anything is that you should ALWAYS use tested recipes (through extension services or the canning jar companies) and follow their advice to a T! People seem to think that simply the fact that a jar *seals* is good enough, but it’s not. Jars can seal that haven’t processed long enough to kill botulism spores, which is why they say to always boil canned low-acid foods before eating them, because the spores can “come to life,” in a sense, and give rise to the dangerous bacteria that love an anaerobic environment to grow in, but can easily be destroyed by heat. (The spores themselves are what are hard to kill, not the bacteria that may grow from them.) Adding a small amount of oil, onions, molasses, etc. should not be a problem as long as you wipe the jar with vinegar before applying the lid.