Canning Corn, Green Beans & Mixed Vegetables

Next up in stocking the pantry was veggies! I usually try to can what our family will eat in about a six month period. 

First up are the vegetables we use the most: corn, green beans and mixed vegetables. 

In July or local natural, organic grocery store, Spouts had their organic frozen corn on sale. The sale was for the 3 pound bags so I purchased nine pounds of corn!  You can pressure can frozen food.  But some vegetables can get mushy going from frozen to canned. 

At Tom Thumb I picked up fresh green beans and frozen mixed vegetables.  Yes, I could store everything in the freezer but if anything were to happen with electricity I would hate to lose all the fresh produce in my freezer.  Also, I prefer to keep my freezer available for items that can’t be canned. Plus it frees up freezer room for turkeys, ice cream or butter on sale!

First let the frozen vegetables thaw.  I warmed my to room temperature on the stove.  There is no safety issue in canning food that was previously frozen. But they must be fully thawed before canning to ensure that no cold spots exist, and the produce must be treated as fresh in terms of canning methods and full complete processing times; no shortcuts are allowed just because it “was frozen.” And for it to be canned, there must be a defined USDA canning protocol for it — again, no free passes because it was frozen. Low-acid foods must be pressure canned, as per normal.

My research show that produce that can successfully transition from freezer to home canned jars include apples, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, cherries, corn, juices, and peas. 

Canning the fresh green beans is simply wash, snap, heat and pack in hot jars with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and process in a Pressure Canner for 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.

Thawed corn is heated packed in hot Ball Pint Jars covered with boiling water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and process  for 55 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. The sweeter the corn the more milky look you will have in the look of the water, don't worry it's just starch. 

To can frozen mixed vegetables they will be processed according to the longest cook time for your vegetable from the USDA.  In this case I canned peas, corn, carrots and green beans.  Notice corn process for 55 minutes and green beans only cook 20 minutes. That 55 minute time would leave green beans mushy if served as a side dish. They will work well in dishes like fried rice, pot pies, and soups.  

For lunch I threw yellow rice and home canned chicken bone broth in my InstantPot.  When the Instant Pot clicked off I added the rice, a pint of my home canned shredded chicken and my newly canned mixed vegetables with a whisked egg and voila Chicken Fried Rice! 

Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard you" Exodus 16:8