newbie with a silly question

[OHChick]

ok, yesterday was my and my husband's first time canning green beans. after they came out of the pressure canner, ther e was way less water than when they went in. is that ok? it said to leave 1 " headspace and using the picture on the diagram that's what we did. we're trying to figure out if they'll be okay.

and my DH asked if we have to cook them like fresh beans when we open the can, or if they come out like regular canned beans? (duh, I know, but we are new!!)

not sure if it matters but we did the 'raw pack' method.

thanks in advance!

 

[robbobbin]

Well IMHO, depending on how long you processed the green beans-they should come out already cooked-just heat and serve.
And it is normal to have less water in the finished product.
Sounds like you guys did a wonderful job! YUM!

 

[averytds]

The contents shrink more when you raw pack. If your not planning to enter the fair, don't mind having less in the finished jars, using more jars, etc. raw packing IMHO is just worth the time savings and not having to handle the hot jars. Sounds like you did just fine.

I use/cook just like canned from the store. HTH.

 

[OHChick]

The contents shrink more when you raw pack. If your not planning to enter the fair, don't mind having less in the finished jars, using more jars, etc. raw packing IMHO is just worth the time savings and not having to handle the hot jars. Sounds like you did just fine.

I use/cook just like canned from the store. HTH.

cool! thanks for the info. i assumed as much, but you know, i'm new at this. :happy_flower

 

[averytds]

When I started I hot packed everything. After 2 days of carrots one of my neighbors came by and saw what I was doing. I never wanted to see another carrot at that point. She said "Are you entering them in the fair?" Which of course I wasn't. And she said why kill yourself? Thus I was introduced to the wonderful world of raw packing.