Canned Lima Beans
Our favorite way to preserve fresh lima beans!
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Canner
- Pint Canning jars, rings and lids
- Jar lifter
- strainer
- Stove
Ingredients
- 10 lbs shelled fresh lima beans
- canning salt- 1/2 t per pint jar
- boiling water
Instructions
- Follow the instructions on how to use your pressure canner.
- Run pint jars through the dishwasher to sterilize or sterilize in a water bath canner. Make sure that the jar tops are free from nicks or imperfections that would prevent sealing.
- Wash rings and heat on low heat in a saucepan. *NOTE: it is no longer recommended to heat lids before adding to the jars as it can cause them not to seal.
- Wash lima beans that have been shelled and remove any damaged beans.
- Loosely add limas to the pint jar leaving about 1 1/2" headspace and not packing or tapping down beans. **A funnel helps make this easier.
- Add 1/2 t salt on top of beans in each jar.
- Add boiling water to each jar--leaving 1" headspace.
- Remove air bubbles with plastic canning tool (nonmetal).
- Using a damp cloth, wipe the rims of the jars and add a new lid to each jar.
- Add a ring to the jar and screw on ring just until secure...not too tight.
- Heat 3 quarts of water in the pressure canner making sure that there is a rack in the bottom for the jars to sit on. If you want to make sure that your jars remain clear and not cloudy, feel free to add 2 T white vinegar to the water in the pressure canner.
- When water begins to boil, add jars to canner with jar lifter and add the top on the canner.
- Steam should run through vent in the top of the canner for 10 minutes before adding the weight.
- Begin timing the lima beans processing time when the pressure has gotten to 10 lbs. pressure. Adjust the stove temperature to keep it at 10 lbs.
- Process lima beans for 40 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure.
- At the end of processing, turn the stove off and leave the canner alone until the pressure comes down...then remove the weight.
- I have learned through years of processing that if I take the lid off too soon that the liquid will be pulled from the jars in sealing.
- If I process a canner load in the afternoon or early evening, I leave the lid on and don't unload the canner until the next morning.
- When unloading the canner, set the jars on towels and out of drafts. Don't move them until completely cool.
- Check to make sure that all lids have "pinged" and completely sealed before storing. If any fail to seal, add them to the refrigerator and cook within a few days. Some people may process them again; but, realize they may be mushy if you do that with limas.
- When cool, label with contents and date on the lids before adding them to the pantry. Removing the rings before storing makes sure that if a seal is lost, that you are aware rather than a ring holding it in place and you missing it.
- It's recommended to use all canned vegetables within a year of canning. I have used them later than that occasionally, but try to use what you eat in a year as a guide to how much you need to put away for each canning type.
Notes
TIPS:
Always follow the instruction guide for your canner for safety when pressure canning food. Processing a pressure cooker outside or on too high an output on a gas stove can damage your canner. Read the instructions for your canner use before beginning,
I love the Ball Blue Book Guide for recipes and guidelines for safe canning!
Familiarize yourself with how much produce provides how many quarts, etc.
Don't rush removing jars from the Pressure canner...it removes liquid from jars.
YOU CANNOT reuse lids for a safe seal that will hold. Many people attempt this and then lose their canned produce when the seals don't seal or lose their seal soon after processing.
NOTE:
Lima beans absorb a lot of water during pressure canning. To ensure there is enough liquid to cover them after processing, fill them loosely and do not fill the pints as much as you would with other vegetables.