Canning beans

A healthy source of protein and dietary fiber, dry beans are a mainstay of many diets in poorer countries of the world. I don't know about you, but for me the main reason I don't use beans more often is that I have to think ahead to use them! The traditional method of soaking them overnight to be cooked the next day almost never happens at my house. I just don't think about meals too much the day before. If I decide on beans for supper by lunch time I can do it the quick way by bringing the beans to a boil for five minutes, then letting them soak for an hour before cooking them. But by far the most used beans at our house are the ones I can. Then they're available instantly, for that last minute "I forgot all about supper!" moment, the days we're gone till supper time, for Sunday lunches when we get home from church at 2 pm and needed lunch an hour ago, and for spur of the moment company. Saves on buying junk food for last minute meals, and they're SO yummy!

First you need some sort of dry bean. I've canned kidney beans for chef's salads and chili, navy beans to add to soup, and most of all, pinto or cranberry beans for refried beans in burritos, quesadillas, and bean dip. Pinto and cranberry beans are very similar, though I prefer the cranberry. They're slightly larger and have a smoother texture when mashed.

Put 1 1/3 cups of dry beans into a colander. You'll want to sort through them to pick out any bad beans or little stones that might be mixed with them. Then rinse them, and put them in a quart canning jar. (Make sure the jar is clean and the rim free of cracks or chips that would inhibit the seal.) When all your jars have 1 1/3 cups of beans in them, you can add any seasoning you want. I often just add 1 teaspoon of salt (Real Salt, for the added minerals that they didn't bleach out of it like regular salt), but have added onion salt, onion and/or garlic pieces, cumin, etc.

Clean, washed Cranberry beans in the jar with salt.

 

Once the seasonings are added, fill the jar to the bottom of the threads with water. You want about 1/2 inch of headspace. Set them in your pressure canner. Follow your canner's directions for adding water, etc.

 

Remember to check the vent hole on the canner lid to make sure it's clean and clear! I often forget, but it's an important step.

Secure the lid and follow your canner's instructions to start it. Process at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes. You can also use jars of dry beans to fill up a canner of green beans or meat. Makes use of the space without being much extra work!

To use, open the jar and use however you like! I mostly dump all the contents of the jar into my Vitamix and give it a whirl. Add any more seasonings you like, and heat for quick, yummy burritos. The leftovers I'll spread onto half of tortilla, add some cheese, fold the tortilla over, and heat in a skillet for a very quick, nutritious lunch. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and sprouts! Or add sour cream, cheese, cream cheese, salsa, and browned, seasoned ground meat, heat in a crock pot, and serve with chips as a bean dip.

Or rinse a jars' worth of beans and serve on top a chef's salad. Or dump the beans into a pan with some rice and water, season, and cook till the rice is done--voila, Gallo Pinto, the Nicaraguan national dish. Well, to make it authentic you'd need to do a little more, but hey, it works and tastes great! Add the beans to chili or taco soup, or if they're navy beans, to beef/venison/lamb, or chicken stew.

Enjoy!