Canning Collard Greens

Now that I feel more confidant using a pressure canner I decided to can some of the collard greens I've been growing this summer.  I gathered a huge pile of greens and realized I should have taken a laundry basket with me rather than a little plastic grocery bag.  The first leaf I picked didn't even fit in it.

I rinsed both sides of each leaf in cold water and placed on the dish drainer.  When it got full I moved the leaves onto a paper towel on the counter and rinsed the rest.  I began by cutting the stem from each leaf then stacked the halves together.

When I amassed a decent sized stack, I cut it in half long ways, then across into strips around 1/4" to 1/2" wide.

 Keep a lookout for critters.

I put the chopped collards into the 12 quart pressure canner and added water about 2/3 full.  I boiled the greens for 15 minutes then ladled into pint jars to which I then added 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  I wiped the rim of each jar with a paper towel dipped in white vinegar.  I placed the lid and hand tightened the rings.  After cleaning the canner after cooking the greens, I placed the bottom in, then the jars and the two liters of water this size calls for.  I secured the lid and processed for 70 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.

All those greens, they filled a 12 quart pot, only made 5 pints of greens.  That's why you need to cook them before packing into a jar.  If you pack them raw, once they are cooked you'll be left with just a few spoonfuls after processing. 

Also, please note, I processed these for 70 minutes because I was doing pints.  If you are doing quarts then you need to process for 90 minutes.  I also used 15 pounds of pressure because I'm a little over 1,000 feet elevation, if I was lower I would have only used 10.  I'm so glad I got over my fear of pressure canning.  I can't wait to do more.

Dragon Tongue Beans Are Amazing!!

Seed catalogs arriving in the middle of Winter is one of my favorite things.  I actually toss the majority of the mass market catalogs but I always make sure to order the beautiful one from Baker Creek Seeds.  This wasn't going to be a post singing Baker Creek Seeds' praises, but if you haven't experienced their catalog, order one.  It's the stuff dreams are made from.  The full color photographs are stunning, and their descriptions are spot on, as well.  And they don't make everything sound great, grand, and wonderful, either, they are honest in their descriptions.  If something is pretty, but tastes horrid, you will know.  If it's difficult to grow in certain areas, that is expressed, too.  Everything is GMO free, and they specialize in heirloom varieties.  I have only ordered my seeds from them for the last 3 years and they will forever have a loyal customer in me.  Also, this is not a sponsored ad for them, but I think I will let them see how much I love them.

But, anyway, here's the actual topic of this post:  Today's Dragon Tongue bean harvest. 

These beans are huge and the plants are so proliferate.  This is my third harvest and my biggest one so far, but there are many small beans and lots of blooms still on the plants so I know it won't be my last.  Also, I want to say that while the beans are huge, they are still very tender when cooked.  You can even eat them raw, my grandson ate a handful of them as soon as he picked them.

I'm going to try my hand at pressure canning these today.  I've never used a pressure canner and I'll admit I'm more than a little nervous about it.  My grandma would use it and had me terrified that it could BLOW at any minute and to stay out of the kitchen.  I'm sure that rattling it does will put my anxiety through the roof, but if it doesn't blow up and kill us all then it will all be worth it.  If the beans and I survive, I'll make another post on how they turn out.  If you don't see another post on it, well, then, you'll know, I suppose.

Just wanted to show another pic of all the beautiful variations you get from this one seed.  When they are cooked, sadly all the purple goes away, but you are left with the beautiful creamy color like the one on the right.  Another good note, there are zero strings on these, no matter how big they grow.  Also, you can leave them on the plant to dry and then use the inner beans like any dried beans.  I'd like to do that, but they are so tasty cooked that I don't know if I'll be able to leave any out to dry.