1) I can only find times for pressure canning pints and quarts. Does anybody know of guidelines for half-pints or 12oz jars? It us just my wife and I, and smaller amounts would be nice.

2) When I fill to the inch line (or right below) then cover with water, the water on most jars only comes up half way after processing. I am fine with this, but are my beans going to discolor, or are there any other problems? Should I only do the liquid to the 1 inch mark and less beans?

3) I want to can some dried posole, but I can't find any directions for it. It seems that the process for dried beans would be the same, but i would like some conformation of that. Any help would be great.

Bill

2) the "fill to the inch line" means including the water. ;)

So yes, less beans and more water. That will help in 2 ways. You won't have exposed, discolored beans (just pitch them when you open the jar) and you won't get siphoning of the liquid out of the jars. Beans even though they are pre-soaked and cooked will still absorb much of the water while processing so there needs to be enough liquid in the jar to insure that the beans are surrounded by liquid. That way you also get safer heat transfer and processing.

Can't help you with the posole as I have never done it but it is a soup so will likely have to be canned like other soups - 1/2 liquid and 1/2 solids - and it may have some ingredients that would prevent home canning. Check the guidelines on canning soups at NCHFP.

Dave

The prep for it is like beans (soak overnight, boil for a couple of hours, add ingredients, etc) so I am wondering if the canning follow bean guidelines.

You can find times at the link.

Carol

Carol

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup dried chiles de arbol
• 4 or 5 dried ancho chiles
• 6 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 4 finely chopped)
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• Diced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes and/or fresh cilantro, for topping
Directions
Break the stems off the chiles de arbol and ancho chiles and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put the chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water; weigh down the chiles with a plate to keep them submerged and soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chiles and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender. Add the smashed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula; discard the solids.
Rub the pork all over with the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pot; add the pork to the other side and sear, turning, until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth, oregano, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the chile sauce (depending on your taste). Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, turning the pork a few times, until tender, about 3 hours.
Stir in the hominy and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pork starts falling apart, about 1 more hour. Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the pork to a cutting board; roughly chop and return to the pot. Add some water or broth if the posole is too thick. Season with salt. Serve with assorted toppings and the remaining chile sauce.

I can the Posole for the pressure cooking times appropriate for the pork. Rule is to pressure can for the ingredient that takes the longest, to be safe.