Tis the season to be gardening and I have been doing exactly that. On Tuesday this past week, I finished planting my summer garden.
this week, I canned kidney and pinto beans. I also planted pole beans and harvested lettuce.
Planting Pole Beans
I planted the pole beans next to one of the fences where we had planted the tomatoes last year. I believe that rotating vegetables into different garden areas is important to prevent diseases from building up in the soil.
I dug the soil around the fences, but just immediately around the fences. I plan to mow the grass between the beds to keep it short.
As I was planting the pole beans, I noticed the bush beans I had planted last week were germinating.
Three Reasons That I Can (Bottle) Dried Beans
Some years ago, I started canning dried beans. So why do I can dry beans when they will store just indefinitely in the dried form or purchase beans that are already canned? I have two reasons.
- The first reason for canning beans is that by buying beans in their dried form, I can purchase them cheaper than the same kind of beans already canned.
- Although I could cook the dried beans as I need them, it’s still cheaper to can several meals worth of beans all at one time. The process uses less energy to do several meals using the same energy as it does to prepare beans for one meal.
- In addition, in the summer, having beans that are already canned heats up the house less than cooking the beans in dried form. This will help keep your home cooler during those warm months. Plus, simply heating a can of beans rather than cooking those same beans requires less time to cook at meal times. No extra time required for a good home cooked meal.
How I Can Dried Beans
The canning beans process began Monday night when I soaked the beans for the next day.
The Night Before
First, I needed to decide how many jars I wanted to can. Once I knew how much I wanted to can, I could determine how many beans I needed to help fill those same jars. To determine how many beans it will take to fill the jars, I use ½ cup of dried beans for every pint of canned ones. It was just a matter of math to multiply how many pints I would can the next day. I measure out one-half cup per pint for each jar that I plan to can the following day. (For instance, if I have seven pints to can, I’d measure out 3 ½ cups of dried beans. I washed the beans and covered them with water to soak them overnight.
Canning Day
In the morning, I washed the beans again. I covered the beans with water again and boiled them at a full rolling boil for about ten minutes. I rinse the beans one more time before putting them in jars. Next, I add ½ teaspoon of salt for each pint.
I pressure canned for 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes quarts at 10 pounds of pressure where I live. For individuals living at altitudes greater than 1000 feet above sea level, increase to 15 pounds of pressure. Once done, I allow the pressure to release naturally and remove jars from canner.
Once the pressure is down to zero, I remove the pressure weight. I lift the lid carefully avoiding the steam when removing the lid. I use a jar lifter to remove the jars. I set the jars on a clean dry towel where I left the jars until the following morning. I now have an additional 15 jars to add to my pantry to add to future homemade dishes.
The Gardening Cycle Completes
Now that the garden is totally in, I am already harvesting lettuce from the garden. As the lettuce comes out, I’ll prepare the soil to put something else into the space vacated by lettuce. I probably won’t do anything right away because I plan to do the entire garden bed soon.
If you’re interested in putting in a vegetable garden this year, I have written several books that can help you get started. All available on Amazon.
Gourmet Weeds
Simply Vegetable Gardening
The Survival Garden
The Four Seasons Vegetable Garden
Help From Kelp
Using Diatomaceous Earth Around the House and Yard
The Perpetual Homesteader 