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 an avid home canner, I’m always seeking ways to preserve the bounty of fresh produce without complicated equipment. So when I had an abundance of green beans from my garden, I decided to try canning them without my pressure canner.
While pressure canning is recommended for low-acid foods like green beans, it is possible to safely can them using a water bath method. With careful attention to sterilization, acidity levels, and processing times, you can enjoy canned green beans all year long without dragging out the pressure canner.
Here is my step-by-step guide to easily canning crisp, garden-fresh green beans using supplies you likely already have in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed
- 6 cups water
- 6 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1⁄4 cup canning salt
- Canning jars with lids and rings (pint or quart size)
Equipment
- Water bath canner or large stock pot with lid
- Jar lifter
- Canning funnel
- Lid wand
- Clean towels or jar cooling racks
Step 1: Sterilize the Jars and Lids
Wash jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well Place them upside down on the rack of a boiling water bath canner filled with enough water to cover the tops of the jars Boil for 10 minutes to sterilize.
Keep jars hot in the water bath until ready to fill. Wash lids and bands in hot, soapy water and set aside
Step 2: Prepare the Green Beans
Rinse beans well and snap off stem ends. Leave beans whole or cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
In a large pot, blanch beans in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain beans and immediately transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain again.
Step 3: Pack the Jars
Working quickly while beans are still hot, pack them into the sterilized jars leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. The beans should be loose but fit snugly without squishing.
Step 4: Make the Vinegar Brine
In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt.
Remove brine from heat. Using a canning funnel, ladle the hot brine over the green beans in the jars, maintaining 1 inch of headspace.
Step 5: Remove Air Bubbles
Slide a chopstick or plastic spatula down the sides of the jars to remove any trapped air bubbles. Add more brine if needed to maintain proper headspace. Wipe jar rims with a clean towel.
Center lids on jars and screw bands on fingertip tight. Do not overtighten.
Step 6: Process the Jars
Carefully place filled jars into the canner, ensuring they are fully submerged by at least 1 inch of water.
Bring water to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, process pint jars for 30 minutes (add 5 minutes for quart jars).
Remove jars from canner and let cool completely undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check lids for an airtight seal once cool.
Step 7: Storage and Use
Wipe down sealed jars, label with contents and date, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
When ready to serve, simmer beans in the brine for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, drain brine and rinse beans before heating and serving.
Enjoy your fresh, homemade canned green beans all season long. With this simple water bath method, you can skip the pressure canner and still safely preserve the summer’s bounty!
Expert Tips
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Use the freshest, crispest green beans possible for best results.
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Blanching helps set color and retain texture during canning.
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A vinegar brine increases acidity to make water bath canning safe. Use a 5% acidity vinegar.
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Process times and headspace recommendations must be precisely followed.
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Check seals thoroughly before storing to ensure safety. If unsealed, refrigerate beans for immediate use.
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Flavor the brine with herbs like dill, garlic, or pepper flakes if desired.
With this easy, foolproof process, you’ll have delicious home-canned green beans ready to enjoy without ever turning on the pressure canner again!
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.
How to can Green Beans Without a Pressure Cooker
FAQ
Can green beans be canned without a pressure canner?
Is it safe to water bath green beans?
How do the Amish can green beans?
What can I use if I don’t have a pressure canner?
How to can green beans without a pressure canner?
In this guide, we will show you how you can green beans without a pressure canner or any other complicated tools. Get your beans ready and let’s start canning them. You will need jars, salt, a pickled mix, and water to complete this process. Washing the green beans before canning them is a crucial step.
Are canned beans healthy?
Some canned beans are usually added with salt or other seasonings. Make sure you choose the ones that has no added salt, sugar or any other seasoning to prevent over consumption of salt in your diet.
Can you can green beans without a pressure cooker?
Explore the art of canning green beans minus the pressure cooker in our comprehensive guide. Delve into its history, benefits, and relevance, grasp the basics, and follow our detailed, step-by-step tutorial. Uncover common misconceptions, handy tips, and compare this method to others. Begin your canning journey today!
How do you brine green beans without a pressure canner?
To create a brine solution for canning green beans without a pressure canner, you’ll need to combine water, vinegar, and salt in a large pot. The standard ratio for a brine solution is 1 cup of water to 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Adjust the quantities based on the amount of green beans you’re canning.