Home canning your own black beans is a great way to add to your food storage! They’re also healthier and will save you so much money! Jump to Recipe
When the panic buying hit, one of the things that was quickly missing from the shelves, aside from toilet paper, was black beans. You couldn’t find them in canned or dry form. Apparently, Taco Tuesday is a must in many houses here in Charleston! Since we use canned black beans in several recipes, I’m making sure we never run out again. Burrito bowls just aren’t the same without black beans and corn. They’re a little sad looking! Now, I could stock these dried in my pantry. They will last quite awhile vacuum sealed in mason jars. However, I’m terrible about remembering to soak them 24 hours ahead of time. Having them properly prepared i.e. soaked and home canned means they’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.
HOW TO PROPERLY PREPARE BLACK BEANS
If you look at any bag of dried beans in the store, you’ll see that they suggest soaking them overnight. In my opinion, this is not enough soak time. I do my best to keep my family on the Nourishing Traditions eating plan. You can read about that here. So, following that premise, making sure that all of our grains, legumes and beans are soaked properly. Before canning beans, I make sure to soak them a full 24 hours. This helps break down they phytic acid.
WHAT IS PHYTIC ACID?
Phytic acid is basically an anti-nutrient. It’s a substance found in plant seeds: beans, legumes, nuts, grains, etc. that affect the mineral absorption of the food you’re eating. It can impair the absorption of iron, zinc and calcium and may promote mineral deficiencies. Not a good thing. So, properly preparing them before cooking or canning is very important.
LET’S GET CANNING
What you need:
Dry beans, I was filling pint jars so I used about 1/2 + 1/8 cup of beans per pint jar. Double it for quart jars.
Pressure Canner – This is a great beginner one!
Canning Kit – Funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, bubble remover
Stainless Steel funnel – not necessary but I always end up cracking the plastic ones. I’ve had this one for years.
Canning salt – I just us pink Himalayan salt in everything we eat
Mason jars – you can find them at almost any big box store.
1) Soak your beans 24 hours ahead of time.
2) Prep your jars, lids & rings. Wash them all in hot soapy water. You can also run your jars through the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle.
3) Drain and rinse your beans.
4) Bring your beans to a simmer for 30 minutes. They will not be soft yet but that’s ok because they’ll finish cooking in the canner. You’ll want to get the water in your canner coming up to a simmer at this point.
5) After simmering, fill your jars. You’ll want to leave a good 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch headspace because the beans can still expand a little.
6) Top off the liquid with warm water.
7) Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. It’s ok to leave this out if you’re watching your salt intake. Use 1 teaspoon if canning in quart jars.
8) Run your bubble remover around the outside of the jars to make sure everything is settled.
9) Run a cloth dampened with vinegar or vodka around the rims to remove any leftover residue.
10) Run a dry finger around the rims of the jars to feel for any leftover residue or cracks.
10) Add your lids and rings fingertip tight. Be careful to not over tighten your rings. Some people will simmer their lids in a small pot before adding to the jars but since we’re putting them in a pressure canner, I don’t bother. It’s a personal preference.
9) Load your canner and process following the manufacturers instructions. Pints process for 75 minutes, quarts for 90 minutes.
Congrats! You have now canned your own black beans!! Carefully wipe down your jars and remove the rings. Write the name and date on top of your jars so you can easily identify them and you can properly rotate them.
Home Canned Black Beans
Ingredients
- dry black beans
- salt
Instructions
- Soak your beans 24 hours ahead of time.
- Prep your jars, lids & rings. Wash them all in hot soapy water. You can also run your jars through the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle.
- Drain and rinse your beans.
- Bring your beans to a simmer for 30 minutes. They will not be soft yet but that's ok because they'll finish cooking in the canner. You'll want to get the water in your canner coming up to a simmer at this point.
- After simmering, fill your jars. You'll want to leave a good 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch headspace because the beans can still expand a little.
- Top off the liquid with warm water.
- Run your bubble remover around the outside of the jars to make sure everything is settled.
- Run a cloth dampened with vinegar or vodka around the rims to remove any leftover residue.
- Run a dry finger around the rims of the jars to feel for any leftover residue or cracks.
- Add your lids and rings fingertip tight. Be careful to not over tighten your rings. Some people will simmer their lids in a small pot before adding to the jars but since we're putting them in a pressure canner, I don't bother. It's a personal preference.
- Load your canner and process following the manufacturers instructions. Pints process for 75 minutes, quarts for 90 minutes.
- Congrats! You have now canned your own black beans!! Carefully wipe down your jars and remove the rings. Write the name and date on top of your jars so you can easily identify them and you can properly rotate them.
Once they’ve processed, celebrate!
Having these jars in my pantry give me a great sense of security. Knowing that my family will have food even if the power goes out is priceless!
What about you? Do you participate in canning? What is your favorite home canned food?
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Thank you for the simple, easy to follow directions with pictures! This is my first time canning and it went great. 🙂 Do you know the shelf life for these? Thanks!
According to the experts, it’s 12-18 months. However, if you keep them in a cool, temperature stable place, I say 3-5 years.
Happy canning!