Beans, beans!

I got myself into a mess again.  I got some big idea that I should can some beans.  Not green beans, but dry beans- pinto, black, garbanzo, great northern.  For a while I have been cooking beans from dry to use whenever I want beans.  I would do a batch and freeze them for when I needed them so that it was almost as easy as opening a can.  The problem was, I like to freeze them on a rimmed baking sheet first and then transfer them into baggies so that I could take out what a needed and not have a large mass of beans in a bag.  It was just getting too complicated.  So, I looked online, talked to my sisters-in-law who have done this before and looked in my Blue Ball Book of Canning.  I decided to soak the beans over night before canning them.  I looked to see how many pounds I would need to fill the canner and even had Kenneth double check my math.  Well, it ended up not being a canner full, but 4 plus canners full!!!!!  Oy vey! 
So, the project overtook my kitchen for the next week.  I ended up with this:

This was minus 2 pints that cracked and a quart that didn't seal.

 

In addition, I still had more pinto beans and made crockpot refried beans which fed us for lunch and dinner and I froze 3 quart bags full.  Looks like I am set for a while!

I enlisted the help of the children to move the project along and they were truly a big help (Unlike the many other times when their 'help' is not really help). 
I only took a picture of Arianna helping, so here she is:


I think the entire project ended up being a success.  It really was a blessing in disguise, because I don't know when I would have gotten around to canning so many beans and now I have so many that I can just grab and go.  Every evening when I tuck the kids in bed, the girls (mostly Emma, but sometimes Arianna) like to tell me their favorite part of the day.  On that day, both of them said canning beans! (and playing outside).  In fact, round two, they all volunteered to help again!  They were so proud of themselves when they were able to tell Dad what they had done when he came home from work. 
So, for those of you interested, you have to pressure can beans.  I also discovered that the overnight soak was unnecessary.  The canner full that I did without soaking came out perfectly soft.  I am actually worried the overnight soak ones are going to be too soft.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  Want to know what else makes we feel good?  If we ever lost power, did not have a good water source for cooking, we have jars of food waiting and ready to be eaten.  No water or heat source needed!