Ready
to Eat – Food Storage Beans
Canning
Dried bean
can be pressure cooked before hand for convenience in food preparation. I have seen dried beans placed in a jar with
water and pressure cooked immediately.
However, this method is not recommended because the beans will still
cause gas problems. It is better to soak
the beans for 12-18 hours before processing.
Discard the original soak water and replace with new water before
processing. This will cut down the
amount of gas problems caused from the beans.
Night before
processing: Have clean pint jars and
lids ready to go
Wash and sort the beans
Place ½ - 2/3 cup beans in each pint jar
Fill jars with water and cover them
with a towel overnight
If you
use 115 F water, the sprouting process will be initiated and
gas
problems will be reduced even further.
Place jars on
dehydrator
tray or heating pad to keep 115 degrees during the soak
process
In the morning, empty the water from
the jars and refill with hot water to
leave one inch head
space. You may need to adjust some beans
Add ½ tsp salt to each jar
Wipe rims of jar and place a lid on
each jar according to the manufactures
instructions
Place the jars in the canner and
process at 13 lbs pressure for 75
Minutes (Pressure given is for
processed
at 11-12 lbs pressure – check with your county
extension agent)
After jars are cool, wipe down,
label and put them on your shelf
Freezing
It is also
possible to freeze beans after cooking for convenient preparation. Some people have complained that this method
yields mushy beans. Others have enjoyed
using this method. You can experiment
and decide what you like best.
Wash and sort beans. Place 1 cup beans in quart jar. Cover with water
Soak for 12-18 hours. Drain and rinse
Sprout beans by soaking at 115 F for
12 hours (This will increase enzymes
and nutritional value - use soak method above at 115 F)
Cook beans on low in crock-pot for
4-6 hours until tender
Ladle into 3- or 4- cup freezer
containers
Store in freezer. Use within 6 months