New Pressure Canner!! First Up - Green Beans!

Farmer's Markets are in full swing now and my freezer was filling up. Thought it was perhaps time to break down and buy a Pressure Canner.  Since I love cooking and have many vessels for that - I decided not to buy the more expensive (non aluminum) Canner.  Why? First, the one I bought was 1/3 the price. Second, I will not be cooking in the pressure Canner/Cooker (I only want to Pressure Can my jarred goods from my Summer Garden and the Farmers Markets in town.  I also asked a few friends what their preference was and got some great reviews from people who owned the Presto Pressure Canner/Cookers.  I had settled on the exact model I wanted.  Once I got to the store to look them over, I realized my need outweighed my want.  The 23 Qt which I initially planned on buying was just way too big for my families needs.  I happily bought the 16 Qt. (interestingly enough both models hold 7 Qts. max) its the half pint and one pint sizes that vary in quantity/load.  I brought my new purchase home (and bonus, I had a 20% off coupon *which just meant that I was paying the going price if I had gone to a "big box" store...)  Fearing the worst imaginable I made certain that I read the instructions from front to back and read it about 20 times - LOL.  I even went on YouTube and watched different people using the Canner.  I watched and listened to each "instructor" and compared what they did and said to the Presto instructions.  Most were the same but, in viewing many, I got a comfortable feel for what I was about to tackle.  There are little things that surprised me. Coming from Boiling Water Bath Canning - I was surprised that no matter the size of jar - the Pressure Canner only gets 3 Qts of water added to the pot!! (of course, always follow YOUR canners instructions)  What! that cannot be true (yes, it is - I even double checked with a friend that owns the exact model)  I was ecstatic - no GIANT POT OF BOILING WATER!!  I did all Presto suggested: cleaned all the parts *they get a dark black grit on them from oxidation and packing gunk, I checked the Dial Pressure Gauge for proper working order *you can have a local extension check it or Presto tells you how in their manual, I peeked through the vent pipe to make sure it was "clear" YEP!  I made sure all safety precautions offered by Presto were followed.  I was ready to get Pressure Canning!!   I had bought 4 Lbs of fresh Colorado Grown Green Beans to Can.  So Simple too.  Best recipe to start with - at least that's what I think.  I washed and trimmed my beans, leaving them in about 1 inch pieces.  I packed them into hot jars (that had some salt added to the bottom of each jar) and poured boiling water over beans to the proper head-space. Adjusted the lids and bands (fingertip tight) and READY to Can!!   I looked up my processing time and double checked the pressure needed for my altitude and I was off and running (or, err...canning)  My notes to you are that you read the manual and get comfortable with the equipment.  Remember to follow ALL the steps that Presto writes in their manual (which can also be found online!)  I read that after 1980 a lot more 'safety features' were added to take the 'fear' out of pressure canning.  In closing, I wrote this little post to let people know that after many years of Boiling Water Bath Canning - Pressure Canning will seem like a super easy transition!  Plus, there is no need to sterilize jars for Pressure Canning (bonus!)    :) Diane  

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