Pressure Canning Fresh Grown Garden Green Beans

Garden fresh green beans are a treasure trove of flavor when stored correctly. Green beans were one of the first garden vegetables I tackled in pressure canning and the results have been quite surprising and delicious. For years I simply blanched the beans and stored them in the freezer. The pressure canner stores a much better product overall. There is no freezer burn on the beans nor do they loose their crisp fresh texture that blanching and freezing creates.

Step 1: Picking, Preparing and Packing

Growing "pole beans" is very rewarding and presents a large amount of fruit that typically yields enough to eat regularly in season and often more than enough to can.

My garden host a 8' long trellis about 6' tall and built from 1x2's and strung every 6" with bailing twine. My bean of choice is a hybrid green bean called Fortex. The Fortex bean is a stringless green bean that never gets stringy or pithy even during long hot dry summers in Tennessee.

The process is simple, pick, wash, cut, rinse and pack into sterilized quart jars with about a 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Add boiling water to 1" from the rim and lid the jars.

Step 2: Canning and Storage

Following the instructions with your pressure canner load the jars in the canner with about 1/3 the volume of the canner with water, lid the canner install the weight on the canner and begin to heat. Once your pressure reaches 10psi, start a timer for 25 minutes. At 25 minutes turn off the heat and let the canner cool completely. Be careful even after the canner cools you will notice that the jars and the contents are still so hot that they will continue to boil. I usually cover the jars on the counter with a towel for several hours till I can handle them and then store the summertime goodness for a cold winters reunion.

Enjoy!