Miss Emerald, I believe you truly DID mess up your first load of green beans. I know that's probably a real sad thing to hear after growing, harvesting, prepping, and "canning" these! But I bet it's the last time you make that mistake ... so that's good news!

Better check out this website's page and try to follow those directions the next time. Good luck with your second go at this.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Food Preparation instructions for canning Green Beans, etc.

You needed to add water and usually a bit of salt. I don't know if I would use them. Most items need a liquid in the jars along with the fruit/veggie.

Hope you have more beans to pick.

Salvageable? No, sorry. Where did you get the instructions you used? kathy linked the correct ones for you above.

Dave

Dave, she said she thought she misread the directions. Time is right for qts.

So sad. I actually used the instructions in the canner (Presto, 16qt) that I purchased on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure my mistake was because the directions were something like "hot pack, add beans and fill with hot water" (or something similar, I don't have them in front of me right now). The raw pack instructions didn't specifically say to add water which is where i messed up. Looking at the Ball Book that I also have, it does more specifically mention adding the water.

Hey, it is my first time canning with a pressure canner so I guess I'm allowed to goof, right? I saved them to show the hubby when he got home from work, but they'll be added to the compost heap when it stops raining.

Luckily, I have LOTS more beans out there, in a few days, I should have more and this time I'll add the stupid H2O!

After that, I think I'll try some other stuff... don't suppose anyone has a recipe for something with okra and tomatoes, do they? (got lots of that, too)

Thanks for all the help :)

As long as you learned, it was a cheap lesson and you caught it before you tried to eat them. This forum is hear to help.

Keep in mind pressure canner manuals are not reliable for processing instructions. They are often out-of-date. Use the manual for maintenance and operation instructions but other reliable resources like Ball or the NCHFP for canning protocols.

Stuff happens. At least you caught it in time to compost without worrying about any contamination of the product or jars.

Carol

Miss Emerald,

Regarding your comment ... "and this time I'll add the stupid H2O!" ...I think you deserve to pour yourself some H2O on the rocks and add a little Scotch to it!

We all have slipped up -- and oftentimes much more seriously than you. I suspect that eventually, someday, you'll just smile and shake your head and remember trying to pressure can naked green beans!

Maybe you could take a photograph of these and even post it here for all of us to see. I doubt if it would go viral ... but at least we could all enjoy it.

Take care, and be easy on yourself.

Gives another meaning to "dry beans" ;-)

Oh, and I haven't tried it (I only had 6 okra plants last year, didn't realize they're not as productive as, say, zucchini even though the recipe is for either LOL). But here's a recipe from NCHFP for tomatoes and okra or tomatoes and zucchini...

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes and Okra

This post was edited by ajsmama on Thu, Sep 12, 13 at 17:40

How long have they been out of the canner? You didn't put them in the fridge after, by any chance, did you?

You can still eat them if they haven't been more than an hour or so between canner and fridge. Any that you don't eat tonight, crack the seal and store in the fridge. Sealed is bad.

I, too, hate to waste homegrown foid! The texture might be weird. but you could put them in minestrone or something.

I don't know, cooked in a pressure "cooker", but in a sealed jar, for a long time...not going to kill you if you open a jar (you should open all the jars as Carol said). Let us know what the texture is like, I'm curious, is it cooked, is it rubber, is it toast?

I think they'd be more suited to the compost pile than soup though...

This post was edited by ajsmama on Thu, Sep 12, 13 at 20:46

They'd be baked beans. Or possibly somewhat steamed in their self contained steamers if the beans were juicy enough. Should be tender-crisp or slightly shriveled after 25 minutes at 257F. Water won't evaporate out of the jar since it has nowhere to go. Might have formed a pool of bean juice at the bottom of each jar.