Climbing beans are one of the wonders of my childhood. I remember my mother creating large teepees with poles and string for the beans to grow up, and cover. It was magical. I wanted to provide the same joy for my children but am not quite so ambitious. I found long cattle panels bent into an arch to make a lovely tunnel of beans for the kids to walk through. It is also much easier to harvest as I can easily access beans from the inside and outside of the arch. And what a harvest!
Those lovely green beans are so easy to preserve for future meals. Here is an easy beginner’s tutorial about how to pressure can green beans that Emmaline and I made for you.
Picking Beans
How to Pressure Can Green Beans
The first step is to wash and drain the green beans in a colander.
Snap beans into jars
Next, we will resize the green beans into 2 inches sections. You can either cut them with a knife or just snap them as we do. You have the option of taking off your ends. We usually remove the blossom end but leave the other side intact. Fill your quart-sized jar to just below the shoulder of the jar. It usually takes about 1.5-2.5 pounds of green beans per jar.
Add salt and water
Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the beans. Cover with hot water leaving 1-inch of headspace.
Place lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring fingertip tight and process in a pressure canner for 25 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure if at sea level. (Remember to adjust the pressure for your elevation if higher than 1000 feet.)
Canned Green Beans
If you have any questions about canning with the pressure canner or how to adjust the pressure for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.