Canning French Beans

Today was my day to get my beans Frenched and in the jars.  I had picked and washed the beans and tossed them in the frig yesterday as I did not have the energy to get the canning done.  I did snip the ends off the beans while supper was cooking, so I had part of the job done for today.  I start any canning process by gathering everything that I will need to do the job from start to finish.  I have my jar lifter, funnel, and wooden spoon that I keep together once canning season starts.  I also use canning salt, sealing lids with bands, and glass jars that I bring up from the basement when needed.  If I am canning vegetables, I use my pressure canner.  Fruits can be processed in a hot water bath.  I want to learn more about steam canning as an alternative to the hot water bath.

Jars need to be checked for nicks and cracks.  I run my finger around the top of each jar to make sure it has a smooth edge for sealing.  Sometimes they chip or get a stick residue from the sealing compound. Chipped jars will not seal.  Sticky jars have to have the goo removed with alcohol or other cleaner that will take it off.  Once they are washed in soapy water, they go into a hot rinse water where they stay until the food goes into the jars right before sealing the jars.

Always use new lids.  Some jars use canning rings or other compounds.  I choose the one use Kerr lids that I just use for dry storage once the seal has been used and broken.  Follow the directions on the box for sterilizing and keeping the lids hot before using.

I have a hand crank French beaner. The beans are fed into the top as you turn the crank.  A white nylon wheel moves the beans through the cutting disks turning each bean into a thin lengthwise slice.  I started out using a smaller hand held tool which the beans were pushed through and pulled out the other side one by one.  I eventually splurged on this with a 50% off coupon in the gardening catalog.  We like French beans, so this was worth the money I spent ($20 sounds about right).

I steam blanch the beans for 5 minutes before putting them in the jars.  Loosely pack the beans with 1" of head space.  Add a half teaspoon of salt.  Top off with boiling water to cover beans with the 1" head space.  Wipe down the top of the jar before placing a hot lid on top.  Use a screw band to hold the lid in place during canning.

Place the jars into the pressure canner with 2-3" of hot water.  My pressure canner can hold 10 pint jars which helps speed the process up.  Some canners are tall and can handle a double layer of jars.  I can only do that with half-pint jars.

Fix the lid on the pressure canner and place over heat.  Once the steam starts coming out the top.  I place my weighted pressure gauge in place.  Other canners will have a knob to close off and you set the gauge to the proper pounds.  Beans are canned at 10 pounds of pressure which raise the temperature at which water boils from 212 degrees to 240 degrees.  Vegetables are low acid and need the higher temperature to sufficiently stop bacterial action safely.  
Once the beans have been held at this temperature for 20 minutes for my pint jars, I remove the canner from the heat and let it cool down naturally.  I do not remove the weighted pressure gauge or run cold water over the outside of the canner to cool it faster.  This is just part of doing it right.  Once the temperature is down enough that the pressure in the canner has come down naturally, I can remove the weight and open the lid.  Always remove lids away from your face and hands to avoid steam burns.

Use a jar lifter to take the hot jars out of the canner.  Place them on a heat proof surface to cool completely.  Do not turn the bands or shake the jars, just let them set.  If some jars have not sealed, (read your lid box on how to tell what a sealed lid looks like) place those jars in the refrigerator or use right away.  I will let jars sit over night before removing the screw bands and cleaning the residue off the jars.  Make sure to label the jars with contents and date.  The year is usually enough unless you really like to keep track of canned goods.  Different sources will tell you how long you should keep canned goods but most things keep quiet well for at least a year or more.  Place jars in a cool, dark location to best preserve the color and quality of canned goods.  Don't let the jars freeze.  
This is just a general tutorial for canning.  I do recommend getting a book on canning to really understand the process and learn about how to do other types of foods and canning.  There is nothing quite so satisfying as going to your pantry in the dead of winter and enjoying last summer's harvest.