Green beans are one of my favorite things to can. Well…I think I say that about everything, don’t I. But I really do enjoy the process of canning green beans!

It’s a much anticipated affair…the green bean harvest. We put a lot of effort into growing our green beans. We grow a heirloom green bean called the Cades Cove Striped Stick bean. It was grown by my husband’s great grandparents from Cades Cove. So it is a special bean to us. (Only heirloom gardener people will understand that!)

My husband always puts up a cool arch in our garden made out of cattle panels to trellis the beans over. It’s such a pretty sight, and it’s a smart way to pick beans. You’re in the shade!

Once the beans are picked–they are usually so plentiful, it doesn’t take long to get a basketful–we string and break them.

Breaking beans is a hands on event that usually ends up being a whole extended family activity! My husband’s grandparents get it on the bean breaking, and my grandma has even come over to help me so I could have an extra hand. Breaking beans in itself is a special time.

Let’s Get Started Canning Green Beans

Once the beans are broken and strung…they need to be washed.

I will wash out my sink, and dump all the beans into it. Then, I’ll fill up the sink with water, and swish the beans around. I want to agitate them so the little bits of dirt and dead leaves fall off.

Rinse them again, and repeat this process twice.

Then, I’ll have a big pot ready with water heating, and I’ll scoop the beans out of the sink into the pot. The water doesn’t have to cover the beans by much, just even is fine.

I actually use my water bath canner for heating up the beans!

Once all the beans are in the pot, we will cook them for only a few minutes. They will turn a different shade of green…then you’ll know it’s time to can!

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You MUST Pressure Can Green Beans

Green beans are a low-acid vegetable. Therefore, they must be processed in the high heat of a pressure canner.

If you are new to pressure canning, I wrote a post explaining all about it: read it here!

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So to pressure can green beans, you will need the following:

One pressure canner 

Canning tongs

Canning funnel

Kosher or canning salt (just salt that isn’t iodized)

Slotted spoon and ladle

And of course, canning jars, lids, and bands.

I always use quart jars, wide mouth and regular mouth, for my green beans.

Make Sure Everything is Ready to Go!

While the beans are heating, I usually fill my pressure canner, and heat my jars.

Have the rest of your supplies out and ready to go. I’ll have my lids and bands in a bowl beside my canner, and will fill it with hot water from the first jar I take out of the canner to fill.

The jars in the pressure canner should be hot, your beans should be heated (not cooked, mind you, we’re just heating until they change color…literally five to ten minutes.)

Start filling the jar with beans, using your slotted spoon.

Do not pack the jars so tightly that liquid can’t get through! Just shake the jar a little to get the beans to fall naturally into the jar.

Leave about an inch of headspace for the green beans.

Now, using your ladle, fill the jar with the water from the green bean pot. Make sure to cover the beans with liquid, still leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace.

Top the jar off with 1 teaspoon of salt. (This is optional, but we’ve always done it.)

Wipe the rim off with a clean towel, and secure your hot lid with the band.

Place the jar back into the canner, and start packing another jar!

Processing the Green Beans

When all the jars are filled (I can fit 7 quarts) secure you lid on the pressure canner. Don’t forget to perform your safety checks with your lid! Remember, we are being totally safe, here!

Crank up the heat, and start your timer when you have set your weight on the canner and it starts to rock. Or if you have a dial, watch for the proper pressure to build.

We will be doing 10 lbs of pressure for 25 minutes for quart jars.

When time is up, wait for the pressure to die down.

Then you can release the lid, carefully set it aside, and gently take your jars out of the canner!

The green beans will be boiling still. They will cool and you should hear them seal!

Losing Liquid from the Jar

One of my biggest issues with canning green beans is losing my liquid out of my jar. There’s a few reasons this happens:

-The jar is stuffed too full, and the water has nowhere to go but out. So make sure you’re not packing ridiculously tight!

-Another reason is not enough headspace. You must have proper headspace…not too much and definitely not too little, or you’ll lose the liquid.

-Twisted the bands too tight?? This one is debatable between my husband and I. I tighten to fingertip tightness, but he thinks you need to really bare down and tighten the lid. We’ve done it both ways, but still lost liquid. I don’t know.

-Releasing the pressure too quickly. It happens…I get impatient, and I want to help the pressure release quicker, so I remove the weight prematurely…or lift the lid while the valve is still up…things I should not do. If the pressure escapes too quickly, I’m convinced the jars freak out and liquid escapes. Maybe I’m wrong…but if I remember to just leave it alone and let it naturally come down from the high pressure…less liquid escapes.

Maybe you have more tips? A little liquid always seems to seep out, but sometimes I forget and do something wrong and I end up losing a lot more than I’d like. The food is still preserved…it just gets shrively over time and I don’t like that.

One of the Most Used Things

Canning green beans is a must in our home! I use them all year long. I even keep my Mamaw stocked in green beans. They are a hundred times better than store bought green beans, of course!

When I need an easy side…green beans. When I make my favorite casserole…green beans. Shepherd’s Pie…green beans. I’m telling you, there’s so many ways to use them and they’re so good for you too.

If you haven’t canned green beans yet, you totally should!

For more recipes, see the Canning section.