Monday, June 15, 2009

Homemaker Monday: How to Can Dry Beans Without Precooking

Welcome to the 45th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs. (By the way, if you have been featured on Homemaker Monday in the past, your name is on my left sidebar. Check it out!)

YOURS: This week's "YOUR" goes to The Newlyweds for their recipe for easy refrigerator pickles! I loved this because you can make pickles without having to use a hot bath or a pressure cooker. I'm so excited to try this! I hope mine turn out as delicious-looking as The Newlywed's did...


Thank you so much, Newlyweds, for this inspiration and I look forward to reporting on this next week. For their entire post, click HERE.

MINE: In the small Mexican farm town in which I live, bottling garden produce is a way of life. It's just what you do in the summer and since I've moved here, I've felt like somewhat of a bottling outcast as I have never bottled anything in my life. About two weeks ago, however, I was able to attend a very well-done, inspiration bottling class given by a friend and I feel that my life will now improve dramatically as I can now feel more a sense of self-worth, frugality and industry, and, to be honest, fit in better with my peers in our village. During the class, I was literally awestruck when I learned how one can bottle dry beans without pre-soaking or cooking them. If you know me, you know I love to fix beans, such as in this recipe...


(Click the photo for the recipe)

...but it takes a lot of pre-planning, something which, as I've admitted in earlier posts, is not one of my fortes. Thus you can see why I was twitter-pated when I learned of this method. I will post the recipe as it was taught to me, but personally, I believe it was a bit too salty, so the next time I will half the amount of salt. Here it is

Bottling Dry Beans



Ingredients:

1 cup beans (I used a 15-bean mix)
1 teaspoon salt
Water
Any other spices desired, such as garlic or onion powder (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Pour the beans, salt and optional ingredients into a one-quart mason jar.
Step 2: Fill the jar to the rim with water.
Step 3: Screw on the lid and process in a pressure cooker as per the manufacturer's instructions.

When you are finished, make sure to carefully lift out the jars with a tool designed specifically for this purpose...


...and place overnight on your counter, undisturbed. I can't remember why this step is important, but it is, so just do it. (L., if you are reading this post, perhaps you can enlighten us?)


When we served up the beans for lunch the next day, I spooned them out into a pot, added more water to give it the soup consistency I was looking for, and simply heated it up 'til it was good and warm. This was so surprisingly easy and I am so grateful for smart people like L. who open my mind and make my world a better place!

OURS: Okay, now it's your turn! Let's see what wonderful ideas you homemakers have for us today. If you have any canning or bottling tips, I'd sure love to see some of that! Thanks for visiting and/or linking up today. I hope you have a great Homemaker Monday!




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13 comments:

Hesses Madhouse said...

Nine kids and THIS? Wow! You're AMAZING! I'd love to be better at canning--I did do a few things this past year thanks to a good friend. I learned that it's not as hard as my mind wants to think it is. Thanks for the inspiration.

Kathryn said...

A question...on the recipe for this yummy looking soup, you said "2 pkgs of 15 bean soup". Is that a special packet you purchase? Or do you make it? What are you refering to?

And when you jarred the beans, did you actually put SOUP in there? Or did you just place some of this bean package and your dried beans?

Sorry! Just wanted to clarify. Sounds like a fabulous idea!!! Thanks.

Cambria said...

I know exactly how you feel!!! We have been eating beans for at least one meal a day since I figured out how to do this!!! Garbanzo, black, white, 15 mix, pinto, black eye. They taste a gazillion times better than the ones from the store!! So glad you like it! Get ready for the summer, bottling can be addicting!!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! I had no idea how easy it could be. I have never canned before either..you give me hope!! Thanks Jen

Renee said...

If only pressure cookers didn't scare me half to death, I'd be doing this tomorrow. I love canning.
You have to leave the cans sit so that they seal and cool off.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for linking up my refrigerator pickles recipe, you so right they are quick and easy to make. Love the idea of dry canning!

Anonymous said...

Really?!!? Are you serious? I'm definitely going to try this before canning season heats up around here!! Thanks so much!!

gigi said...

"process in a pressure cooker as per the manufacturer's instructions."
Where do I find the manufactures instructions? How many minutes and how many pounds of pressure??

Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...

Gigi, excellent question. Because there are so many pressure cookers out there, and because if pressure cookers are used incorrectly they can be dangerous, I have deferred each individual to their manufacturers instruction manual. If you don't have your manual anymore, you could look online for one. You can almost always find one there. Does that help?

Tami said...

Thanks for these instructions--I knew this had to be possible but everywhere else I looked tells you to precook the beans, and that seemed like it should be unnecessary if you're pressure canning them. I've been canning soups to get ready for a new baby, and have been staring at a bunch of pint jars and thinking I'd love to can dry beans in them. Anyway... to answer your question about why it's important to let the jars sit untouched on the counter, it's so they can seal properly. Some jars can take a while to seal.

So as far as processing time, my canner's instruction manual gives a processing time for beans that I've presoaked and cooked, but not for just dry beans. (90 minutes, 11 lbs of pressure per quart, 75 minutes for pints) Is that about what you do for yours?

Frances said...

Thank you so much for sharing this! I knew there was a way to do it without precooking but I couldn't find it in any of my books.

Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams said...

Thanks for the tips!

Moonbeams and Eco-Dreams said...

Thanks for the tips!