If you find yourself with a bumper crop of green beans, consider preserving them and enjoying them throughout the coming year. Green beans can be dehydrated, frozen, pickled, or canned for long-term storage. If you are planning on canning your green beans, they, like most vegetables, will need to be processed using a pressure canner. Only a pressure canner can achieve the intense temperature required to ensure low-acid foods will be processed safely at home.

For some, pressure canning can seem overwhelming and intimidating because of stories of old. However, you can overcome that fear and become more confident by understanding the science and steps needed to preserve food at home safely. 

This hands-on workshop will begin in the classroom and then head to the kitchen, where participants can process their own jar of green beans. During the first half of the class, we will cover canning basics, the importance of using a pressure canner, and explain low-acid foods. The second half will be spent in the kitchen, processing green beans. Participants will not only learn a fun new skill; they will then get to take a jar home. 

Yes! You CAN: Preserving Practice – Pressure Canning Green Beans will be held Tuesday, June 27, from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the Winnebago County Extension office, 1040 North Second Street Rockford, IL. The cost to attend is $25, and the class size is limited. Register for this workshop by calling the office at (815) 986-4357 or online. The registration deadline is Monday, July 24.