This year was a bumper crop for green beans. We had so many from both our garden and the CSA box that I decided to try canning green beans. With the proper equipment, canning vegetables is easy and a great way to enjoy the bounties of summer any time of the year.
If you want to start home canning vegetables, you will need to invest in a pressure canner. The water bath method of canning takes too long and it doesn’t get the product hot enough to thoroughly kill any microorganisms that may be lurking. Low acid foods, like most vegetables and tomato products need to be brought up to 240 degrees farenheidt to properly preserve them. The jars may seal at a lower temperature, but you run the risk of botulism poisoning.
A couple of great resources for home canning can be found at the Ball’s homecanning.com and the University of Georgia’s Center for Home Food Preservation.
By the way, I ended up with 12 pints of green beans this summer. You need about 3/4 pound of fresh beans for each pint, so that gives you an idea of how many beans I had on my hands this summer.