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Publication #FCS8305

Preparing Beans, Fresh Lima: Shelled for Canning1

United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2

Quantity: An average of 28 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 18 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 32 pounds and yields 6 to 10 quarts -- an average of 4 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select well-filled pods with green seeds. Discard insect-damaged and diseased seeds.

Procedure: Shell beans and wash thoroughly.

Hot pack -- Cover beans with boiling water and heat to boil. Fill jars loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Raw pack -- Fill jars with raw beans. Do not press or shake down.

Small beans -- Leave 1-inch of headspace for pints and 1-1/2 inches for quarts.

Large beans -- Leave 1-inch of headspace for pints and 1-1/4 inches for quarts.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Add boiling water, leaving the same headspace listed above.

Adjust lids and process using the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the method of canning used.

Tables

Table 1. 
Table 1. Recommended process time for Lima Beans in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time

0-

2,000 ft

 2,001-4,000 ft

4,001-

6,000 ft

6,001-

8,000 ft

Hot and Raw

 Pints 40 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb
Quarts 50 11 12 13 14

*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.
Table 2. 
Table 2. Recommended process time for Lima Beans in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack Jar Size

Process

Time

0-

1,000 ft

 Above 1,000 ft

Hot and Raw

 Pints 40 min 10 lb 15 lb
Quarts 50 10 15

*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.

Footnotes

1.

This document is Fact Sheet FCS 8305, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Revised: July 2005. Reviewed: August 2008. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8150, Guide 4: Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2.

Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.