Under Pressure Or My New Shiny

Isn't she pretty?  Yesterday, I purchased this pressure canner and shall name her Cora the Canner.  She's something that I plan on using a lot, especially if my plan to create a little food forest is successful.  I do have a freezer and it is great, but honestly, lots of times I think, "Oh, I have such and such in the freezer and we should have that for dinner tonight," but then I forget to take it out of the freezer and this way on nights like that, I will just have to open a jar and I've got the basis for whatever dinner.

In order to test it out, I bought three pounds of dry black beans.  I read two different methods of canning dry beans.  One was adding dry beans to the jars and boiling water and the other was to soak overnight, give them a quick parboil, add to jars with boiling water and can that way.

So, since I bought a new shiny, guess which method I used?  If you said the soaking overnight, then you are grossly underestimating my enthusiasm for new toys, as well as my complete inability to grasp the concept of delayed gratification.  (Not really true about the gratification, except when it comes to new toys.  Which reminds me, I really should do a post about another new toy I received this year, but never mind that right now.  See? I'm helping you with delayed gratification.  You're welcome.)

At any rate, I rinsed half of the beans very thoroughly, trotted down to the basement to my hoard stash of vintage canning jars I scored at Goodwill for $2/box.  (Happy little dance)  I washed them in hot soapy water and then filled them with boiling water to sit for a bit.  Meanwhile, I boiled some water on the stove to use to pour into the jars after I added the beans.

Check out this jar...

Apparently, these are worth some money and that's sweet and everything, but they are also utilitarian items and there is nothing wrong with using them for the purpose for which they were intended.   (I clearly don't grasp the entire collecting canning jars thing...)  I have about 20 of these pint jars.  I suppose I could look up the value of them.  If they were worth a nice price, I could sell them one at a time.  Then I could use the funds to add to my vintage toilet paper roll collection.  

Anyway... after I washed the beans I started heating up 3 quarts of water in the canner, Next, I added a heaping 1/2 cup of beans to each pint jar.  Then I added 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on top and then filled the jars up with boiling water, leaving an inch of head space.

This is a picture of adding salt because I know that is difficult to visualize. 

This is actually from this morning, when I did the other 1 1/2 pounds of beans after soaking them over night.  I decided to get all crazy and add the salt first.  It really doesn't matter which order they are added.

I plunked all the jars down into the now hot (but not boiling - that's important) water and sealed the canner up.  An hour and fifteen minutes later, this is my result!

8 pints of canned black beans ready to dump into salads, be smooshed up to make black bean tostados, added to yummy yummy salsa, or whatever else my little heart desires.

I also did 8 more pints this morning with the pre-soaked beans and just from a visual alone, I think I like the dry bean method the best, but the proof is in the tasting.  The dry pack method probably results in a much firmer bean, which would be best for salads, soups or salsa.  

So, that's it gentle readers.  I'll leave you with this picture of one of my favorite canning jars (okay, okay, I get the whole canning jar collecting thing after all).  

ps.  (I don't collect old toilet paper rolls)

pps.  (One of the lids didn't seal properly, so I had the occasion to taste the beans from today.  A little too much salt for my liking, but the beans were delicious!)