George Shirley wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>
>>> Anny Middon wrote:
>>>
>>>> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>> Well, as Barb has said, she got here late Tuesday afternoon due to
>>>>> bad weather in Houston. We waited at our local runway patiently
>>>>> while visiting with other folks waiting. Unfortunately her bag
>>>>> didn't make it until yesterday morning so she and I had to go back
>>>>> after it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Later yesterday she and I went shopping at my favorite supermarket.
>>>>> Another incident occured there, I had a sugar low and had to drink
>>>>> one of the full strength cokes Barb had in her shopping cart. One
>>>>> of the store managers was nearby and I proceeded to rag him about
>>>>> the store while we were sitting at a table in the deli area. Our
>>>>> store gives away free coffee to shoppers but we abstained having
>>>>> had a large pot earlier in the morning.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've never had a visitor who persisted in shooting still pictures
>>>>> and videos of me cooking, running the food processor, etc. I'm sure
>>>>> there will be a new section on her web page when she gets back
>>>>> home. She's really good to cook for as she is enthusiastic about
>>>>> all the dishes. She, my wife, and I polished off most of a large
>>>>> moussaka, a bowl of hummos, and another of taboole last night and
>>>>> several toasted pieces of khobiz or pita, depending upon country of
>>>>> origin. Khobiz is the literal transliteration of the Arabic word
>>>>> for bread and is pronounced "hobs."
>>>>>
>>>>> Barb and Miz Anne, my handler and wife, hit it off immediately and
>>>>> became fast friends. Barb is also easy to entertain. I guess after
>>>>> Minnesota's winter our 80-90F weather is a relief and so is the air
>>>>> conditioning. She is a joy to be around. Even Sleepy Dawg Shirley,
>>>>> our resident rat terrier likes her and they get along fine napping
>>>>> on the couch together. <VBG>
>>>>>
>>>>> Today we are canning, in the pressure canner, black-eyed peas, a
>>>>> staple of life in the south. I put dried peas on to soak last night
>>>>> and today we will can about four pints of them. Now canned
>>>>> blackeyes sell for about 49 cents for a #2 can at the market but I
>>>>> like to can my own as I control the additives that way. Any dried
>>>>> pea or bean can be pressure canned if soaked in advance and then
>>>>> treated as though it were a fresh produce. I may wear my fancy
>>>>> apron and chef's hat while running this advanced seminar but the
>>>>> flouncy frock, high heels, and pearls are at the cleaners this week
>>>>> so she will see me in my usual, for this time of year, shorts, tee
>>>>> shirt, and sneakers. Will probably get some forties music going on
>>>>> the XM radio channels our satellite TV provider has or might even
>>>>> put some sixties stuff on for Barb, depends on what she likes.
>>>>>
>>>>> Life is good and we're having fun.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the updates, George, and please pass thanks on to Barb.
>>>> I'm one of the many who are reading your posts with more than a
>>>> touch of envy.
>>>>
>>>> About the canned beans -- do you bring them to a boil before you put
>>>> them in jars, or do they go into the pressure canner at room temp?
>>>> I think the recipes I have always want you to cook the beans and
>>>> then can them hot, which works great for soup, but I was thinking
>>>> maybe not so good for just beans.
>>>>
>>>> Anny
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Nope, can according to cold pack for fresh peas/beans. Place in
>>> sterile jar, cover with boiling water, then pressure can according to
>>> pressure and time.
>>>
>>> George
>>>
>>
>>
>> I thought you'd have to cook them for about 5 minutes and then pack
>> them hot, just so they won't absorb all the water in the jar (like my
>> fresh-dried cranberry beans did when I canned them 2 years ago.) At
>> least that's what I was planning to try next time. They'd still be
>> raw after 5 minutes, but maybe they would be about through soaking up
>> all available water by then.
>>
>> Bob
> I soaked one lb of peas (2 cups) from about 6pm one night until about 9
> am the next day. There was still liquid water in the soaking pot. then I
> poured off the soaking water and rinsed the peas thoroughly. Put them
> into hot pint jars to about 1 1/2 inches from the top without packing,
> poured boiling water over them to within a half inch of the top, put on
> the hot lids, hand tightened the rings and put them in the canner. Water
> in the canner was pretty hot and reached over the mid-point on the peas.
> Let steam run through the vent for about 5 minutes or a little over and
> then put the jiggler on. My old canner has a 17 lb jiggler that just
> lets you know the pressure is to high, I use a steam gauge canner. Got
> the pressure up to 11 lbs and tried to hold it there for 35 minutes.
> Once the time was up let the canner cool naturally until pressure was at
> zero again, removed the lid and tossed a tea towel over the open canner
> for about 5 minutes, then removed the jars to a folded towel with the
> old Grip-Tite jar lifter Barb is lusting after. The jars sit undisturbed
> for 24-hours then I take the rings off, wash the jars with a wet cloth
> to get any calcium deposits off (the canner water has 5% USP white
> vinegar, two tablespoons in it to neutralize the calcium). then I label
> the lids with a Sharpy, date the jar and put them in the pantry.
>
> When canning peas and beans, even fresh ones, a goodly bit of the water
> poured over them will get absorbed by the produce. When you open a jar
> to heat them just add back a little water and proceed as normal. If you
> buy a can of black-eyed peas you will find that the water in the can is
> not at full liquid and you might have to add a bit. At least that has
> been my experience over the last sixty years. HTH
>
> George
>


I think maybe I just filled my jars too full before covering them with
boiling water. They still turned out really good, but not something I
would enter in the county fair cuz they didn't look right.

Bob