re-canning food from #10 cans? can this be done?

[newbskywalker]

Hi, im new here I was wondering if someone could tell me how to pressure can green beans & corn from a number 10 can. I am EXTREMELY new to all this, I got a pressure canner for Christmas and don't have a garden yet. I can get corn & green beans in #10 cans much cheaper than I can buy single cans for and I need very quick dinners most nights.

Can this even be done? Ive heard it can but im confused on why things get soft when you can etc and Im wondering if the corn or green beans would be mush after re-canning?

Thanks in advance!

 

[k15n1]

I've read that it's generally not worth it. At least, that's what the NCHFP [1] says. That's probably based on a typical situation, so check and make sure their conclusion is right for your case.



1. http://nchfp.uga.edu/

 

[moolie]

Hi, im new here I was wondering if someone could tell me how to pressure can green beans & corn from a number 10 can. I am EXTREMELY new to all this, I got a pressure canner for Christmas and don't have a garden yet. I can get corn & green beans in #10 cans much cheaper than I can buy single cans for and I need very quick dinners most nights.

Can this even be done? Ive heard it can but im confused on why things get soft when you can etc and Im wondering if the corn or green beans would be mush after re-canning?

Thanks in advance!

I've re-canned tomato paste from #10 cans, but it's already mush--I'm thinking veggies would get pretty mushy.

The reason veggies get soft when you can them is the same reason they get soft, then mushy if you cook them too long--prolonged heating breaks down the fibres and kills off many of the nutrients.

 

[TanksHill]

I have re canned tomato sauces from 10 cans. But I would think re canning vegetables would not be a good idea. They would be way over cooked.

I blanch and freeze most of my fresh stuff. I find pressure canning just once makes them mush.

I would just meal plan around the can. Open and refrigerate leftovers.

good luck,

g

 

[Beekissed]

Or portion out your can contents in smaller freezer bags for individual meals/portions and just freeze them. I can't see going to all that trouble to re-can already canned produce just so you can have smaller portions.

You can do it...you can can just about anything. But the mush you will be serving probably won't have much appeal.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I don't blame you for buying in bulk. You probably did save money, but I side with the others. No...don't try it. For one thing, the corn in particular needs at least 50 minutes of processing time to make sure its safe and its already been processed once, so it will affect the corn. The greenbeans won't need that much time, but still beans are completely cooked in the cans because of the processing. You can add raw string beans to masons, put in the salt and then hot water, then start heating, until you are all ready to process and it cooks right there in the jars....but unfortunately it just won't taste as good canning as it will freezing. You do sometimes forfeit taste by preserving like that. There is supposed to be a better method of preserving fresh greenbeans, by putting in a big crock and soaking in brine for the season.....pulling out what you will use as you need it, but I haven't had enough beans last year to try it.
You did good though for getting in bulk......plus save those cans for your garden. You can get a jump start on planting and protect your young plants from the wind, until their root systems are strong.

 

[newbskywalker]

thanks guys for all your helpful answers, I think freezing will be a good option. Ive never canned anything before... ever... sooo I was thinking already canned food would be safe practice but if it turned out gross in the end it wouldnt be worth my time! LOL

 

[moolie]

thanks guys for all your helpful answers, I think freezing will be a good option. Ive never canned anything before... ever... sooo I was thinking already canned food would be safe practice but if it turned out gross in the end it wouldnt be worth my time! LOL

When it comes to canning, it doesn't actually matter if the food was already canned. Once the sealed can or jar is opened, the food is exposed to air and other spoilage agents. So you're right back at the beginning again, except that canned food has already been processed so is fully cooked. Canning again is the same as cooking again, thus the "mush" factor.

In fact, canning is just cooking your food in a sealed container in such a way that it is heated hot enough to kill the spoilage agents and so that all the air is pushed out to create a vacuum--that's what keeps the food safe to eat in the future

If you can get a good deal on something like big cans of tomato sauce or paste and want to start your canning adventures with that, I say go for it. It's good practice on something that doesn't require a lot of prep (like canning your own home-made tomato sauce which means peeling and coring, cutting up, and cooking down before you get on to the actual canning). But skip the already canned veggies

 

[debra demarko]

I've canned a lot of different types of # 10 cans of veggies and I've always been happy with the end results, I'm canning Green Beans right now after trying a trial batch and I found I really liked them, I did add fresh cracked black pepper and a small amount of chicken stock to it, and I really did not find them mushy, I liked them, and before this, I really hated green beans lol. So it worked for me. I get 7 pints of green beans for each # 10 size can. and I follow the canning times of the ball canning book, I would just try a small batch first, test and and see if you like it,

 

[lcertuche]

According to Jackie Clay you can re-can things from # 10 cans. If you are afraid they may be mushy maybe make up jars of soup. Soup is expensive to buy in cans but a few # 10's might be worth a try. Personally I hate froze green beans but home canned I love. The kind canned in cans taste kind of tinny (is that a word?) or somekind of metallic taste anyway. To be fair I do cook the heck out of certain vegetables and green beans is one of them.