Sunday, April 13, 2014

Fifteen Bean Soup

I love beans any way you make them.  This hearty soup is so good with a big chunk of good homemade buttermilk cornbread! 
Ingredients:  Yields 9 pints
1  20 oz bag of Hurst's 15 Bean Soup beans
2 cups of cubed ham or ham from 2 cooked ham hocks
1 quart of diced tomatoes
2 onions chopped
1 tsp of chili powder
Juice of one lemon or (Use lemon juice if you don't have a lemon)
1 to 2 cloves of minced garlic

1:  Wash your beans and cover in cold water and let soak overnight.  I let mine soak at least 12 hours and sometimes longer.  There is a quick method, but I never use it.  I prefer letting my beans soak. 


2:  Day two.  Gather your ingredients and canning supplies. 

3:  Drain your beans and cover with fresh water, just enough to cover them by a few inches.  2 quarts or a little more if you like a lot of liquid.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 30 minutes.

While beans are boiling, put your jars in the canner to keep them warm and cover your lids/rings with boiling water.  (Don't boil your lids and rings, just cover them with boiling water and let sit until you are ready for them)



4:  Add all other ingredients and bring back to a boil.


5:  Fill your jars with hot soup leaving 1 inch headspace.  Add 1 tsp of canning salt to each jar.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed.



6:  Wipe rims of jars with a wet paper towel dipped in vinegar to ensure they are cleaned well and you get a good seal.  Put lids and rings on jars and tighten down finger tight.  Place your jars in pressure canner and put on the lid. 

7:  Vent steam for 7 to 10 minutes according to what your canner manual says to do.  The All American Canner says to vent for 7 minutes and the Presto says to vent for 10 minutes. 
8:  Process pints for 75 minutes at 10 pounds pressure or quarts for 90 minutes.  Adjust pressure according to your elevation.
9:  Turn off heat and let pressure drop naturally.  Wait 10 minutes before removing the lid.  Remove lid from canner and let sit for 10 more minutes.  This will give your jars time to adjust to the temperature in the room.
10:  Place jars on counter to cool for 24 hours.  Label and Store.


Enjoy with a big chunk of cornbread!