Canning beans

Ok... I'm a bit if a canning junky. Jams, jellies, salsa, marinara... yes, yes and yes!! There's nothing better than opening up a jar of your own product and knowing every ingredient that went into it... plus jars of jam and jelly make awesome gifts!! Last Christmas my mother in law got me a pressure canner, opening up a whole new world of canning possibilities. First order of business... beans!! I honestly had no idea how simple and inexpensive canning my own beans would be. After a little research I attempted my first batch... success!! If you have a pressure canner you can whip up a dozen jars of any of your favorite beans for just a few dollars and a couple hours of time!! I went to a local whole foods store and bought a few varieties... I used pinto beans, black beans and chickpeas but this would work with any dry beans.

1-2 pounds any variety dry beans

Canning salt

Water

Canning jars (pint size) with lids and rings 

Soak beans for a couple hours in warm water, drain and rinse 

Sterilize jars and lids in dishwasher or boiling water

To each sterilized jar add 1/2 cup beans and 1/2 tsp canning salt. Fill remainder of the jars with water to the neck. 

Place lids and rings on the filled jars.

Follow manufactures instructions on your pressure canner and cook beans at 10 pounds pressure for 40 minutes. The dry beans cook right in the jars and will come out perfectly cooked and ready to use!! Voila, that's it!!

Next time I'm going to play around with adding some other seasonings to the jars prior to canning to make my own chili beans, baked beans... etc. 

I've already used a jar of the black beans for some vegan enchiladas and they were perfect!! You can do as many or as few jars as you prefer... I ended up with about 20 jars of beans. Enjoy!!