Bean Basics: How to Safely Can Any Type of Dried Bean
I typically buy canned beans from the grocery store. They’re inexpensive and ready in a pinch. But with so many great varieties of dried beans available from local farmers in Maine, I decided to challenge myself to a new food preservation project and try my hand at making my own canned beans using dried beans.
First, I selected my dried beans. I bought several bags of different varieties of locally-grown beans at the farm stand near me. I found navy beans, yellow eye beans, and a chili blend. As per the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s guidelines, I soaked the beans for 12 hours before I started the canning process. This was an easy step—I just covered the beans with water in pots and refrigerated them overnight. Next time, I will use more water, since I just covered the beans, and by the next morning, the beans had absorbed most of the water, which meant some of the beans were no longer covered.
Then it was time to begin the canning. I prepared 16 pint jars by washing the jars, rings, and screw bands. I got out the pressure canner I planned to use—a 23-quart model with a dial gauge. I tested the gauge, as it was the first time I had used the canner, and found it was accurate.
Remember to test your dial gauge annually—we recommend every spring so it’s ready to go for the canning season. UMaine Extension offers free dial gauge testing in every county. Your state’s Cooperative Extension may offer the same service.
Canning Dried Beans in a Pressure Canner
The beans required a little bit more cooking, so I rinsed the soaked beans, covered them with fresh water, and boiled them for 30 minutes. Then it was time to can. I filled all 16 pints (I started with 5 pounds of dried beans) and left 1 inch of headspace. I removed the bubbles from each jar, wiped the jar rims, applied a lid and screw band, and put the jars in the canner.
After venting the canner, I brought the canner up to pressure (11 pounds at my elevation in Falmouth, Maine) and pressure canned the beans for 75 minutes. The pressure did rise to about 14 pounds, which is not ideal, as it meant I was cooking my beans more than they needed to be. But I eventually got the pressure to settle at the required 11 pounds of pressure and the process went smoothly after that.
Lessons I Learned from Pressure Canning Beans
All but two of my jars sealed, and so after 24 hours, I placed those jars in the refrigerator and used them up in my weekly cooking. I found the beans to be overcooked; they have turned into mush in the bottom of the jar. I messaged the National Center for Home Food Preservation about the soaking steps, since the beans seemed pretty well done after an overnight soak and 30 minutes of boiling. I thought that perhaps if I could skip the soak, the beans would hold up better during canning. But, as I expected, they assured me that the soaking is necessary to ensure that the beans reach the proper temperatures needed to destroy all bacteria. Next time, I will put my canner on a smaller burner so that the temperature does not exceed the recommended 11 pounds of pressure and perhaps that will avoid overcooking the beans.
I still plan to use the beans—I will just use them in recipes where it’s okay if they fall apart. I could make white bean dip, white chicken chili, or white bean, sausage, and kale soup. In all of those recipes, the beans are either pureed or partially mashed so my well done pressure canned beans will be perfect.
Need ideas to use up your beans? Check out Spoonful’s 6 Fast Recipes for That Can of Beans in Your Pantry.
Resources
- Beans or Peas – Shelled, Dried, All Varieties – National Center for Home Food Preservation
- Pressure Canner Dial Gauge Testing – Cooperative Extension: Food & Health
- UMaine Extension Recipes
Author
Kate McCarty has been the Food Systems Professional at University of Maine Cooperative Extension since 2009, after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She has completed the Master Food Preserver program, an intensive, hands-on training in all aspects of home food preservation. Kate manages the volunteer efforts of the 60+ Master Food Preserver volunteers and teaches food preservation programs in 6 Maine counties.