Canning Shellout Beans
I try to space the plantings out by a couple of weeks so they don't ALL have to be picked at one time, but for some reason they all seem to catch up with each other and still come on at once.
When canning time comes, just thaw and rinse your beans in warm water,and can them as if they were fresh from the garden My favorite variety of shellout bean is called "Horticultural". This is an heirloom variety, so you can keep seeds from one year to the next. They look a lot like Pintos, except they are pink and white calico instead of brown and white. Of course they turn drab brown when you cook them...My grandmother used to grow them every year in her garden. Their flavor was always soooo good! Seeds are getting harder and harder to find, but they're still out there.  These procedures work for every type of fresh shellout bean I've tried - Lima or butter bean varieties, pintos, black turtle, as well as horticultural. I even let some green beans mature a few years back, shelled and canned them. You'd be surprised how good those were. Supplies for Canning Shellout Beans-Pressure Canner-Canning Salt -Large stock pot -Small sauce pan -Canning jars -Canning lids and rings -Jar Lifter -Magnetic lid wand -Canning funnel -Measuring spoons -A couple of old towels or scrap rags
Prepartion for Canning Shellout Beans-Rinse the beans & remove any bad ones.-Wash canning jars, lids, and rings, rinse and dry. -Prepare a couple of extra jars, in case you need them. -Prepare the small sauce pan with about 2" of water. -Fill stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. -Put about 3 inches of water in the pressure canner -Place the canner on stove, and begin bringing the water to a boil. -By the time the jars are filled, the canner should be boiling. Filling and Closing the Jars-Bring the small sauce pan to a boil and remove from the heat.-Place the dome lids in the pan. -Fill each jar with beans leaving about 1 inch of headspace.  -Add 1/2 teaspoon canning salt to each pint or 1 teaspoon per quart.  -Add enough boiling water to leave 3/4 inch headspace.  -Wipe the rims of each jar with a wet dish cloth or paper towel. -Assemble the lids and rings and apply to filled jars. -Tighten the lids to hand tight.  Canning Shellout BeansFollow the instruction manual for your canner, but basically you have to do the following:-Place jars in the canner and lock down the lid.  -Vent canner for 7 to 10 minutes -Process at 10 PSI - pints for 40 minutes and quarts for 50 minutes. -When done allow pressure to drop off naturally. -Remove jars and place on old towel or scrap rags on your counter to cool.  Jars should begin sealing within a few minutes, but wait until they have cooled to room temperature to be sure. Any jars that do not seal will have to be either eaten right away (within 24 hours) or refrigerated and eaten with in a week or two. Jars that don't seal are fairly uncommon if you follow instructions, but it does happen occasionally. When the odd one doesn't seal, just think of it as a quality check of your work! Return to Home Canning Page from Canning Shellout Beans Page
|
Canning shellout beans is easy. Shelling out the beans...not so much. It's not really hard work, it just takes some time. In late summer, our shellout beans start coming on, and are usually finished within a couple of weeks. 
