Dry edible bean varieties grow well in home gardens in many regions. Most are sun-dried on the vine before harvesting. If left on the vine too long in some climates, beans can get moldy. Dry beans, home-grown or commercially produced, must be hydrated before canning. If canned with safe, tested methods, products may be used immediately when opened. Still, most people prefer to eat them heated as a side dish or added to soups, stews or other combination foods. Varieties that can well are cranberry, garbanzo (chickpeas), great northern, kidney, navy, black and pinto.
Dry edible bean varieties may be shelled (hulled) while the beans remain fresh in the pods. Cook and eat, refrigerate, freeze or pressure can them when they are fresh. The best varieties for fresh bean canning are Lima, butter, pinto or soy.
Follow the recipes provided without adaptations to ensure safety and quality. Note: Only use safe pressure-processing times for canning dry beans that have been soaked and precooked (hydrated) using one of the methods below. Hydrated dry beans and fresh (shelled) beans must be processed in a pressure canner made by a reputable home canning equipment company. For safety reasons, processing times vary for dry beans and fresh (shelled) beans. If you are new to pressure canning or need a refresher, see “Additional information” below for other useful resources.
Storage: After the jars cool for 24 hours, remove the screw bands. Screw bands are not needed for storage. Wash, dry and store them separately. Screw bands can mask siphoning, leakage or rust that can spoil your food. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water, rinse and dry them. Label them with the product name and processing date. Properly canned, dry beans can be stored for a year in a cool, dark and dry place. After a year, quality changes such as color, flavor, texture and nutrition begin to decline. Use within a year for best quality.
Selecting and sorting dry beans for canning in water or sauce. Select mature, dry beans. Sort and discard any discolored seeds and foreign matter. It will take an average of 5 pounds of dried beans for 7 quarts or 3¼ pounds for 9 pints.
Beans, dry — in water
Prepare: Follow the directions above for selecting and sorting beans for canning. Hydrate the beans using one of the following methods. Note: Two cups of dry beans that are soaked (method 1 or 2) and boiled for 30 minutes (in the procedure below) will yield about 4½ cups, enough for 3 pints.
Soaking method 1: Place dried beans in a large pot and cover with water. Soak 12 to 18 hours in the refrigerator. Drain water.
Soaking method 2: To hydrate beans quickly, cover sorted and washed beans with boiling water in a saucepan. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour and drain.
Procedure: Cover the beans prepared by either method with fresh water and boil for 30 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with hydrated bean solids and hot cooking liquid to 2 inches of headspace, then fill with the hot cooking liquid and boiling water to 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace if needed. Wipe rims with a dampened clean towel.
Processing: Adjust lids and process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds or in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure: Pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes. Adjust for altitude using the chart (Figure 1).
After processing: Remove canner from heat and wait until pressure returns to zero. Remove weight or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes. Unfasten the canner lid and remove it carefully, tipping the lid away from the face to avoid a steam burn.
Beans, dry — with tomato or molasses sauce
Follow the directions above to select and sort beans for canning. Two cups of dry beans will fill 3 pints with the desired sauce.
Prepare: Hydrate the beans: Rinse dry beans. Add 3 cups of water for each cup of dried beans. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour and drain. Heat to boiling in fresh water. Save liquid for making sauce.
Procedure: Prepare your choice of the following sauces. Each recipe makes enough sauce for 3 pints.
Tomato sauce
Mix:
1 quart tomato juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves, allspice, mace and cayenne pepper
Heat to boiling. Fill jars three-fourths full with hot beans (leaving 2 inches headspace). Fill jars with heated sauce, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims with a clean, damp towel.
Molasses sauce
Mix:
4 cups water or cooking liquid from beans
3 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon powdered dry mustard
Heat to boiling. Fill jars loosely three-fourths full with hot beans (leaving 2 inches of headspace). Add a ¾-inch cube of pork, ham or bacon to each jar if desired. Fill jars with heated sauce, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace if needed. Wipe rims with a clean, damp towel.
Processing: Adjust lids and process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds OR in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure: pints for 65 minutes and quarts for 75 minutes. Adjust for altitude using the chart (Figure 1).
After processing: Remove canner from heat and wait until pressure returns to zero. Remove weight or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes. Unfasten the canner lid and remove it carefully, tipping the lid away from the face to avoid a steam burn.
Baked Beans
Follow the directions above for selecting, sorting and preparing beans for canning.
Prepare: Soak, boil beans as follows: Sort and rinse dry beans. Add 3 cups of water for each cup of dried beans or peas. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat and soak 1 hour and drain. Heat to boiling in fresh water. Save liquid for making sauce.
Procedure: Make molasses sauce as follows.
Mix:
4 cups water or cooking liquid from beans
3 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon powdered dry mustard
Heat to boiling. Place seven ¾-inch pork, ham or bacon pieces in an earthenware crock, a large casserole or a pan. Add beans and enough molasses sauce to cover the beans.
Cover and bake for 4 to 5 hours at 350ºF. Add water as needed — about every hour. Fill jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Processing: Adjust lids and process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds or in weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure: pints for 65 minutes and quarts for 75 minutes. Adjust for altitude using chart (Figure 1).
After processing: Remove the canner from heat and wait until pressure returns to zero. Remove weight or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes. Unfasten the canner lid and remove it carefully, tipping the lid away from the face to avoid a steam burn.
Source for above recipes and chart: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (2015). Headspace adaptations reviewed and approved by Joy Waite-Cusic, associate professor, Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University.
Beans, dry varieties, used fresh — lima, butter, pinto or soy
Selecting and sorting: Select young, tender, well-filled pods with green seeds (beans). Discard insect- and disease-damaged beans. Shell and rinse beans thoroughly.
Procedure
Hot pack — Cover beans with boiling water and heat to a boil. Boil 3 minutes. Pack hot beans loosely into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints or 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill jar to 1 inch from top with boiling hot cooking liquid. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process as directed below.
Raw pack — Pack beans loosely into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace for pints. For quarts, leave 1½ inches if beans are small or 1¼ inches if they are large. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints or 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill with boiling water, again leaving the headspace given above. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.
Process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds pressure or in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure. Process pints for 40 minutes, quarts for 50 minutes. Adjust for altitude using the chart (Figure 1).
After processing: Remove canner from heat and wait until pressure returns to zero. Remove weight or open petcock. Wait 10 minutes. Unfasten the canner lid and remove carefully.
Source: So Easy to Preserve, 6th Edition (2014). University of Georgia
Bean Soup
Yield: about five pint or two quart jars.
2 cups dried navy beans (about 1 pound)
1 ham hock or ¼ pound salt pork
½ cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
½ red chili pepper
Salt and pepper to taste, if desired
Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.
Prep: Wash navy beans under cold running water; drain. Discard shriveled or discolored beans. Peel onion. Chop onion; measure ½ cup chopped onion. Remove stem and blossom ends from red chili pepper. Finely chop red chili pepper.
Cook: Put navy beans in a large saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let navy beans soak 1 hour; drain. Return navy beans to a large saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Add ham or salt pork, onion and red chili pepper. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer; simmer, covered, 2 hours. Remove ham or salt pork. Dice meat, discarding bone. Return meat to soup. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Fill: Ladle hot soup into a hot jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip-tight. Place jar on the rack in pressure canner containing 2 inches of simmering water (180°F). Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process: Place lid on canner and turn to locked position. Adjust heat to medium-high. Vent a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes. Put weighted gauge on vent; bring pressure to 10 pounds (psi)*. Process pint jars 75 minutes or quart jars 90 minutes adjusting for altitude (see Figure 1). Turn off heat, cool canner to zero pressure. After 5 minutes, remove lid.** Let jars cool 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner; do not retighten bands if loose. Cool 12 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.
Bean Soup recipe used with permission. Source: Newell Brands Inc. Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. 38th edition, Hearthmark, LLC, 2024.
Bean Soup recipe reminders: *If using a dial gauge pressure canner, process at 11 pounds (psi). Make altitude adjustment in pressure for dial gauge or weighted gauge pressure canner using chart (Figure 1). Processing times remain the same. ** After 5 minutes, remove the pressure regulator or weighted gauge, then remove lid, tilting it away from your face.
Additional information
See OSU Extension publications Canning Vegetables and Use, Care and Operation of Your Pressure Canner. They are free to view or download.
