To be honest, canning season has been a little underwhelming this year. We’re in a drought that not even garden sprinklers seem to be able to compensate for. But we’ve still managed to get a few green beans, so all is not lost.
When I was a girl, green beans were the number one green vegetable in our family. It’s pretty simple to grow them and pick them, and it’s also pretty simple to can them. We canned a lot of them!.
Seeing my mom and other women in our community can things taught me a lot about it, especially how to can green beans.
As a home cook who loves preserving fresh produce, I’m always looking for new ways to fill my pantry with delicious canned goods. Recently I discovered French style green beans – slender whole beans with a naturally sweet, grassy flavor. I was so impressed by their taste and texture that I wanted to find out, can French style green beans be canned at home?
The answer is yes! With the right technique, you can preserve that signature crunch and pack loads of flavor into every mason jar Read on for a complete guide to canning French style green beans at home
An Overview of French Style Green Beans
French style green beans go by many names – haricots verts, fancy beans, baby beans They are a variety of green bean picked young, when the seeds and beans inside the pod are still small and tender This makes for a thin, delicate bean with a satisfying snap when you bite into it.
Compared to standard large green beans, French style beans have:
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A more concentrated, sweet bean flavor.
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A satisfying crisp texture – no stringiness.
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Visually appealing whole bean shape.
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Higher nutrient content since they are young beans.
No wonder French restaurants prize these beans! When fresh, they make any side dish feel gourmet. But tragically, they also lose quality fast. So for French bean fanatics like me, canning them at their peak is the perfect preservation solution.
Why Should You Can French Style Green Beans?
Canning French style green beans lets you:
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Preserve peak flavor – Capture that sweet, grassy taste before it declines.
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Maintain trademark crunch – The canning process preserves that signature snap and texture.
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Customize flavors – Infuse your own unique seasoning blends into each batch.
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Enjoy out of season – French beans have a short fresh season. Canning lets you enjoy them year round!
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Save money – Take advantage of seasonal deals on fresh green beans rather than buying pricey frozen French beans out of season.
With a little time and effort, you can stock up on these gourmet beans to use in soups, stews, sides, salads and more. Home canned green beans make an easy and impressive addition to any dish.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Canning French Style Green Beans
Follow these simple steps for safe, shelf-stable canned French green beans:
1. Select high quality fresh beans
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Look for slender, supple beans about the size of a pencil. Avoid bulging, mature beans.
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Seek out the thinnest French beans you can find – they have the sweetest flavor.
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Choose vibrant green beans free of blemishes or bruises.
2. Wash and trim the green beans
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Rinse the beans under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris.
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Snip off the stem end and tail with kitchen shears. Leave beans whole.
3. Blanch the beans
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Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the beans and bring to a boil over high heat.
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Once boiling, add beans and blanch for 3 minutes. This helps set color and soften beans.
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Drain beans in a colander and immediately submerge in ice water to stop cooking.
4. Fill jars and add seasoning (optional)
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Pack blanched beans vertically into clean mason jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
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Add canning salt or other seasonings like garlic, onion, herbs.
5. Add hot liquid to cover beans
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In the pot, bring fresh water to a boil with more salt.
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Ladle the hot water over the beans, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
6. Process the filled jars in a pressure canner
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Wipe jar rims and seal lids. Process pint jars for 20 mins, quart jars for 25.
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Once complete, allow jars to seal and cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
7. Test seals and store
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Check that jar lids are concave and do not flex up and down when pressed.
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Label sealed jars with contents and canning date. Store in a cool, dark place up to 1 year.
With the right technique, you can enjoy restaurant-quality French style green beans straight from your pantry long after the fresh ones are gone!
Frequently Asked Questions About Canning French Style Green Beans
New to home canning? Here are answers to some common questions about processing French style green beans:
Do I need to use a pressure canner?
Yes, a pressure canner is necessary to safely can low-acid foods like green beans. The higher heat kills botulism spores that could grow in oxygen-free jars.
How long will home canned French green beans last sealed?
Properly processed jars that maintain a good seal should stay shelf stable up to 12 months. After opening, store leftovers in the fridge up to 5 days.
What size jar is best for French green beans?
The slender shape of French beans fits well vertically into both pint and quart jars. Pints are convenient for smaller portions.
Can I customize flavors in my canned French beans?
Yes! Feel free to add your own salt, seasonings, aromatics, or other flavor components before processing.
Is it safe to can French green beans in a water bath canner?
No, only pressure canning provides adequate heat to keep French green beans shelf stable. Stick to a pressure canner for safety.
Do I need to sterilize jars before canning French green beans?
As long as jars are run through the dishwasher or washed in hot, soapy water beforehand, sterilization is not necessary.
Can I use my own garden beans or store bought beans?
You can absolutely use fresh green beans from the farmer’s market or your own backyard. Just maintain the proper ratios and processing times.
With the simple process outlined above, you’ll soon have a stash of restaurant-worthy French green beans to enjoy for months on end. Home canned beans capture the signature crunch and grassy sweetness perfectly. Try serving them as a quick side dish or incorporate into soups and stews as an easy way to elevate any meal.
Green Bean Canning Basics
Your basic recipe is simply cut green beans canned in water and slat. Essentially, they’re boiled. This is the easiest, and most common way to can green beans.
There is a method called “raw packing” that you can use. To do this, put raw beans into jars, add a teaspoon of canning salt on top (if you’re using quarts), and then fill the jars with cool water, leaving an inch of headspace.
First, screw on the lids and rings. If you need to, remove any air bubbles by stirring them up with a butter knife.
Finally, proceed with pressure canning. You should stay at 10 pounds of pressure if you live near sea level. If you live higher up, you might need to go up to 15 pounds of pressure.
This was a favorite for many of my Amish neighbors. In fact, I don’t think I ever had a boiled green bean at an Amish house. They were always sautéed, usually with bacon. This just meant that you put your green beans in jars as tightly as possible, added salt but not water, and pressure canned them. In the end, the beans shrank quite a bit, which is why they were packed as tightly as possible. Also, some bean liquid collected at the bottom of the jar. To use them, they’d typically be drained, and sautéed in bacon grease or butter.
How to can green beans
Green beans can be canned in more than one way. If you’ve been buying canned beans at the store, you might not know this.