A few years ago, I canned chili beans for the first. It’s a great winter time project. Since it requires a fair amount of time and heat to have the burner on the stove running, the heat might as well be put to good use compared to home canning that HAS to be done in the summertime. I don’t raise my pinto beans. I just buy a big bag of dry beans, so I try to can them in the winter.
I enjoy canning the beans and I’ve always loved the look of home canned jars of food.
As far as economically, I’m not convinced home canning them is very much cheaper than just buying cans of chili beans at the store. Especially, if I’m not growing the beans. Not till I count my time and the cost of lids and whatever $ amount to run my stove. I don’t excel at figuring those kinds of numbers. I did read a blog a few years ago, {can’t remember what it was} and she had the cost all broken down and figured out as to what her savings were by making and freezing or canning her own stuff. I think it was possibly refried beans I was looking at, at the time.
I did get beans one time from a friend for a very cheap price. She found a big ole bag of them marked way down and didn’t want them all. She shared them, and the savings, with me. 🙂 It was a fun find and fun to have her call me up about it.
In the book, Miserly Moms,the author figured how much it cost her in electricity to run appliances and decided to sell her big freezer and learn to efficiently use her space in her refrigerator freezer. Interesting to read about, but once again, not my field.
I just enjoy canning beans and I don’t feel totally tied or committed to HAVING to can beans, and I like having them available and one less thing to think about putting on the grocery list for a while! Obviously, I could also stock up on them during a sale and have them on my pantry shelf.
I do like the beans a bit better, I think, although I don’t think there’s a huge difference.
Do you enjoy home canning?
Do you have favorite foods you can?
because you enjoy it…
or it tastes better…
or it saves for you in the dollar department…
What works for you?
Ingredients
- 8 pound bag of Pinto Beans
- Soak overnight in a large bowl.
- Drain off any excess water.
- approx 30 pint jars
- Fill jars 3/4 full of beans.
- To each pint jar add:
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 - 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Fill jars with water.
- Process jars in a pressure canner for 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.
Notes
You can also hot water bath the jars for 3 hours, although I've never tried this. 🙂
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The plus about having the homecanned beans for me would be the lack of any added ingredients that are on my ‘bad’ list! But since I don’t have a canner and it kills my stove to even think about canning – I don’t can. And I don’t have much storage space. But a new kitchen, a new stove, and a canner and I’d can, I promise. I suppose it’s probably cheaper for me to just keep buying them.