I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely more
knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball Blue
Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted the
step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water before
putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and they seem
to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary? They're being
cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the canner. I always
wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is that step called for?
Thanks for any feedback.

Garrett Fulton

Garrett Fulton wrote:
> I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely more
> knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball Blue
> Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted the
> step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water before
> putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and they seem
> to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary? They're being
> cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the canner. I always
> wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is that step called for?
> Thanks for any feedback.
>
> Garrett Fulton

I always raw pack my green beans Garrett, been doing it that way for
over forty years. You can hot pack or cold pack(raw pack). Get the jars
hot, pack with green beans cut to no more than two inches long, add some
salt if you want or need it, no more than 1/2 teaspoon per pint jar. Add
boiling water to within 1/2 inch of the top, wipe the jar lip with a
clean cloth, put the heated lid on, screw the ring down finger tight
only. Place jars in the canner and process for 20 minutes at 10 lbs
pressure for pints. They always come out good for me and I keep them for
up to two years with no problems. Be sure to follow the directions for
purging your canner of air, and follow the waiting times after the job
is done.

George
>

"Garrett Fulton" > wrote in message
...
> I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely more
> knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball Blue
> Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted
> the step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water
> before putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and
> they seem to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary?
> They're being cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the
> canner. I always wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is
> that step called for? Thanks for any feedback.
>
> Garrett Fulton
>
I thought the big difference between raw-packed and hot=packed veggies and
fruits was the ratio of food to canning liquid in the final product. I'm
sure I read somewhere that precooking the produce removes some of the water
in it, so you end up with a more solid-pack product.

Anny

Anny Middon wrote:
> "Garrett Fulton" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely more
>>knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball Blue
>>Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted
>>the step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water
>>before putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and
>>they seem to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary?
>>They're being cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the
>>canner. I always wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is
>>that step called for? Thanks for any feedback.
>>
>>Garrett Fulton
>>
>
> I thought the big difference between raw-packed and hot=packed veggies and
> fruits was the ratio of food to canning liquid in the final product. I'm
> sure I read somewhere that precooking the produce removes some of the water
> in it, so you end up with a more solid-pack product.
>
> Anny
>
>
AFAIK there is no difference. For an experiment you can do both ways and
weigh the product and compare differences. There's generally not enough
liquid in green beans or carrots to affect them if raw packed. when I
raw pack green beans I snap them no longer than 2 inches, pack the jar
full to within half an inch of the top, pick the jar up and smack the
bottom of the jar on the meaty part of my left palm. That generally
packs them down tighter and then I fill it up again. I use a quarter
teaspoon of salt in each jar, fill to within half an inch of the lip
with boiling water, wait a few seconds and top off the water. Clean the
jar lip with a clean cloth, put on the hot lid, hand tighten the jar
ring. The jars are sitting in the rack that goes in the canner and when
done all 8 or 9 jars go into the canner, the lid gets tightened and then
the air removal starts. After about ten minutes of steaming out the vent
I drop the jiggler on there and bring the canner up to 10 psig on the
steam gauge and hold it there.

I use an electric stove so set it on high until it gets to about 9 lbs
and then start turning down the heat. By the time the required 20
minutes at 10 lbs is done I'm usually down to the #3 setting and
maintaining the pressure. I turn the canner so I can see the gauge
standing at the sink and I wash everything I've dirtied while getting
the jars ready for canning. Dance a little to Harry James or Kay Kaiser,
rattle my pearls at my wife and click the heels on the high heels. <VBG>

George

I blanch because I get fuller jars using a hot pack rather than raw
pack. If I really pounded them in there raw it might not make so much
difference. Putting Food By says that commercial canners "give their
beans a meticulously controlled low-temperature blanch for a few
minutes before proceeding to Hot-pack" which sets calcium pectate in
the tissues and makes them a little crisper. It goes on to say that
"You can achieve much the same result by Raw-packing your beans". But
then later, it says hot-pack is preferred and their method is "a
paraphrase of the commercial canner's pre-treatment".
Sounds like it's canner's choice.

C.Johnson

Garrett Fulton wrote:
> I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely more
> knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball Blue
> Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted the
> step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water before
> putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and they seem
> to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary? They're being
> cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the canner. I always
> wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is that step called for?
> Thanks for any feedback.
>
> Garrett Fulton

"cyndi in the desert" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I blanch because I get fuller jars using a hot pack rather than raw
> pack. If I really pounded them in there raw it might not make so much
> difference. Putting Food By says that commercial canners "give their
> beans a meticulously controlled low-temperature blanch for a few
> minutes before proceeding to Hot-pack" which sets calcium pectate in
> the tissues and makes them a little crisper. It goes on to say that
> "You can achieve much the same result by Raw-packing your beans". But
> then later, it says hot-pack is preferred and their method is "a
> paraphrase of the commercial canner's pre-treatment".
> Sounds like it's canner's choice.
>
> C.Johnson
>
> Garrett Fulton wrote:
>> I've been lurking here for quite some time and everyone is definitely
>> more
>> knowledgeable than myself about home canning. I always used the Ball
>> Blue
>> Book instructions for canning green beans up until last year. I omitted
>> the
>> step in their instructions about blanching the beans in boiling water
>> before
>> putting them in the jars prior to pressure canning last year and they
>> seem
>> to be fine. My question is, is that step really necessary? They're
>> being
>> cooked at a high temperature anyhow for 25 mins. in the canner. I always
>> wash them thoroughly before going in the jars. Why is that step called
>> for?
>> Thanks for any feedback.
>>
>> Garrett Fulton
>

I have noticed since I started raw packing with no blanching, that after
they're canned I've got about an inch of water at the bottom under the
beans. That didn't happen when I blanched. So maybe there's something to
the idea that you get a fuller jar with blanching. I can tell zero
difference in the flavor, though.

Garrett