Quick Answers
I know green beans should be pressure cooked to can. But is there a recipe to use a water bath instead?
Pressure canning is required so that the temperature of
the green beans is hot enough to kill Clostridium
botulinum, the organism that causes botulism. It can
take more than 12 hours to kill this organism at the
temperature of boiling water and this is too risky for
us to make a recommendation.
If you want to use a boiling water canner, consider
making pickled green beans. The acid from the vinegar
prevents the growth of the spores and the heating time
is much less. Here is a recipe you might want to
consider:
PICKLED DILLED BEANS
Ingredients:
4 pounds fresh, tender green or yellow beans (5 to 6
inches long)
8 to 16 heads fresh dill
8 cloves garlic (optional)
½ cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure: Wash and trim ends from beans and cut to
4-inch lengths. In each sterile pint jar, place 1 to 2
dill heads and, if desired, 1 clove of garlic.
Place whole beans upright in jars, leaving ½-inch
headspace. Trim beans to ensure proper fit, if
necessary. Combine salt, vinegar, water and pepper
flakes (if desired). Bring to a boil. Add hot solution
to beans, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles.
Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Source: USDA 1999. Complete Guide to
Home Canning and Preserving. 2nd edition. Pg. 132.
Douglas L. Holt, Ph.D., Chair, Food
Science and Extension Specialist, University of
Missouri-Columbia
Last update: Saturday, June 28, 2008
 |
Site Administrator: |
|
|
|
