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Canning green beans

tanner27
10 years ago

I followed a friends recipe to can green beans as follows
8 cups water, 5 Tbsp vinegar, 2.5 tsp sugar and 2.5 Tbsp pickling salt
Then process in hot water bath for 1.25 hrs.

I made 2 batches before I even aware there was an issue with not pressure canning. So questions. Does the vinegar in this make it ok to hot water bath? Is there something I can do with existing jars to make them safe if not. If I bought a pressure canner could I now pressure can them even though they're all ready sealed? Could I dump the beans out and freeze? I used pints if that matters

Comments (15)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Showing my age but Wow! that brings back memories of many decades past. Only even then, when the great-aunts were still canning green beans in a BWB, the processing time used was 2 1/2 hours.

    At any rate green beans requiring pressure canning has been the guideline for over 40 years and no, adding the vinegar does not make them safe for BWB canning. What made them safe for us to eat way back then was cooking the *&%^$ out them after the jar was opened. Even then some folks got sick from the contaminants in the jars.

    It is going to be your choice ultimately. The current guidelines would call for throwing them away without even opening the jars IF they are more than 24 hours since canning. If less then 24 hours old then they can be re-canned - from scratch, back to pot, reheated, new jars, new lids et al - using a pressure canner but they will be really soft.

    If you plan more canning do your self a big favor and invest $6 in the Ball Blue Book of Canning available anywhere canning supplies are sold.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning Green Beans

  • Linda_Lou
    10 years ago

    Please ! Do not open the jars, throw the jars and all in a big trash bag. Wrap the jars first in newspaper so they won't break.
    We have had several cases of botulism in green beans in the past couple years.
    You have potential botulism in those jars if you canned more than 24 hours ago. If less than 24 hours, you could do as Dave said and freeze the beans.
    The only way to can them in a BWB canner is if you use a current safe recipe and pickle them.
    Botulism can only be killed at temps of 240 or higher. You can boil water until you die and it will still only be 212 at sea level.
    You cannot see, taste, or smell botulism, so if you open those jars if longer than the 24 hours of canning them, you would not be able to detect it.

  • tanner27
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It is still less than 24 hrs so if I dump them can I at least save my jars?

  • readinglady
    10 years ago

    Boy, that's a blast from the past. Even in WWII the pressure canner was the preferred method for green beans, though some people did out of necessity use the BWB with the ultra-long processing time Dave mentioned.

    That vinegar method does linger, even though that's not nearly enough vinegar to compensate for the low-acidity of the beans. My husband's cousin continued to use that method despite our warnings. I think what saved her family was since she was a good old Southern cook, green beans were always cooked with bacon a half-hour or more. The boiling kills any toxins.

    Carol

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago

    I used to can green beans in a BWB, but it was for 3 hours, and that was YEARS ago. I lost so many that I gave up canning green beans until I got a pressure canner.

    5T of vinegar would not be enough to make it safe. Less than 24 hrs, re-do them correctly.

  • tanner27
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ok, I've dumped the beans. Is the dishwasher safe enough to wash the jars and use for something else?

    And I can make pickled beans and can without a pressure canner correct? Any recipe recommends?

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago

    Dishwashers are most of the time safe to wash the jars, just make sure to use the 'hot' water setting, or sterilizing if you have it. Some people like to shut the machine off during the dry cycle, but I would use it especially in this case.

    There is a recipe for Dilly beans, but I'm not sure if they are BWB or pressured canned. I've not made them. Check with the NCHFP site or the Ball or Mrs. Wages site. They should have something.

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Dishwasher is fine. Dilled Bean recipe linked below.

    If you buy a pressure canner then you can can them. Otherwise just blanch and freeze your green beans if you don't want them all pickled.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pickled Green beans

  • readinglady
    10 years ago

    Dishwashers don't operate at sufficiently high temperatures to sterilize. "Sanitize" is just a fancy term for hot.

    Dilly beans are BWB and nice short processing time. I posted the NCHFP recipe at the link. That's a great and reliable site to access for all kinds of canning info. Consider it the gold standard.

    Also think about getting the Ball Blue Book. This time of year it's generally carried in Ace Hardware, Walmart, a number of stores along with their other canning supplies.

    Good luck. There isn't a one of us that hasn't made mistakes and we all know how depressing it is to have something go wrong and have to dump.

    Carol

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Pickled Dilly Beans

  • Linda_Lou
    10 years ago

    Did you can them more than 24 hours ago? If so, you should not have opened those jars. The whole product in the jars should have been thrown out. As I said, if you opened them and they were sealed up more than 24 hours, you could potentially get botulism from doing so.

    I would soak in bleach solution at this point, wearing rubber gloves.
    As said, the dishwasher will not sterilize the jars. Either boil them for 10 min. or use the bleach water. Technically, to sterilize you boil things for at least 10 min.

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    He/she said they were less than 24 hours old above.

  • Linda_Lou
    10 years ago

    Ok, sorry I missed that. Then, yes, it was fine to save the jars.
    Now you know, so next time you will preserve them safely.

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago

    Some dishwasher have a sterilizing option, only the most expensive ones, they do heat beyond the boiling point and hold that for quite awhile. My husband has installed a few, he thought the people were nuts to spend so much money just for a dishwasher. You just have to make sure that it is correctly installed.

  • readinglady
    10 years ago

    That's very interesting. It almost sounds like a home autoclave. I can't imagine what that might cost.

    Carol

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago

    His niece is one of those people that if someone else has it, she has to also. I think he said it was a Bosch. I know all her appliances were special orders. Her friend was a doctor's wife, if that means anything (not to me).

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