My students and I made these with our fresh green beans, using a Ball recipe. We were sure to measure the 1/2 inch headspace.
Are our beans just too short? What do we need to do in the future to preserve the headspace yet pack the beans properly? We thought the beans were just a little under 1/2 inch from the top) or is there a technique we need to learn?
Thanks for any help you can give us!
by GlitterLitter88
8 Comments
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Did you poke any holes in them? There’s probably air trapped in the bean if the ends aren’t trimmed!
I was always told that you put them either really tightly in the jar so they can’t physically move up, or use a jar that tapers in at the top, so they can’t rise. Or both.
We always break the ends off before canning, but to be honest, I don’t know the why of it. I believe it’s to let them absorb water inside and out which would also eliminates internal air bubbles.
I thought this was normal…I’m terrible at packing jars so they always float for a while. I use certified recipes and fill them properly etc. They always settle after a couple days.
My dilly beans always float too. You should be fine as long as the rest of the recipe and processing was followed correctly.
I am by no means a dilly bean expert, but those beans look awfully mature for “green beans”. The seeds/beans look very large and the skins looks very thin, so the beans likely have quite a bit of air around them. Maybe next time try harvesting them earlier while the beans inside are still small and that way they won’t be so prone to floating and the product will be more tender.
they will absorb the liquid and settle down over time. You followed a safe tested recipe and process, so they are safe. The headspace after processing doesn’t matter as long as a jar is at least half full of liquid.