Canning Green Beans

Canning Green Beans is on of my favorite things to do and one of the easiest things to can.  

 Get your pressure canner and other needed supplies all ready before starting.  Have water boiling to cover the beans once packed into the jars. Green Beans MUST BE PRESSURE CANNED.  They are a low acid food.


Select young, crisp beans, about 1 ½ to 2 lbs makes a quart
If your beans are not a string-less variety you will want to string them.  To do this you just break the end and pull back to remove string.  Repeat at other end.
Wash and drain your beans. Break them into pieces about 1 to 1 ½ inches long.

You can use either the raw-pack method or the hot-pack method when canning green beans.

Hot Pack Method:

Put beans in a large stainless steel pot.  Cover with boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, fill your jars leaving 1-inch head-space.

Add canning salt, 1 tsp per quart or ½ tsp per pint

Cover with boiling water

Remove air bubbles by running utensil around edges of jar

                Wipe jar rims with clean paper towel dipped in white                       vinegar

Put on lids and tighten bands finger tight

                Put in canner.  

·        Raw Pack Method:

 After washing and breaking beans, tightly pack them into jars

Add canning salt, 1 tsp per quart or ½ tsp per pint

Cover with boiling water

Remove air bubbles by running utensil around edges of jar
Wipe jar rims with clean paper towel dipped in white vinegar

Put on lids and tighten bands finger tight

Put in canner.  

• Once you have filled your jars with either the hot or raw pack method and have them in the pressure canner.
• Check your water level and lock down your lid
• Bring canner to a boil.
• Vent Steam for a full 10 minutes and then close vent
• Continue heating until it reaches 10 lbs pressure. (11 pounds if using a dial gage canner) Maintain pressure for 20 minutes for pints jars or 25 minutes for quart jars.

See Charts for your elevation:

Table 1. Recommended process time for Snap and Italian Beans in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints	20 min	11 lb	12 lb	13 lb	14 lb
	Quarts	25	11	12	13	14

Table 2. Recommended process time for Snap and Italian Beans in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints	20 min	10 lb	15 lb
	Quarts	25	10	15

Turn off heat and allow pressure to drop naturally, wait 2 minutes and open vent. Wait 10 minutes then remove canner lid.
Let sit 10 more minutes to allow jars to adjust to the temperature in the room and then move jars to counter
Let sit 24 hours, test your seal by pressing thumb in center. It should not pop up.

Clean and Label jars.  You can remove bands and store in a cool, dark place.

Follow same directions for other varieties of beans such as yellow was beans, Italian beans, ect…