Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit......

The more ya eat, the more ya toot!  The more ya toot, the better ya feel, so let's have beans for every meal!  That was a little ditty we used to sing when I was a kid and boy is it ever the truth!  Regardless of the odiferous, flatulant consequences, I LOVE BEANS! 

Yesterday and today I'm canning up several batches of kidney beans.  I've blogged about this before and I urge anybody who likes beans and knows how to can to try this.  Home canned kidney beans are so rich and creamy and are soooo much better than the kind you buy in a can from the store.  They also contain nothing but kidney beans and salt!  Check the label sometime of your canned kidney beans from the store.  They have more than that in them.  I love these beans just right out of the jar!  I put them in a bowl, add a little chopped onion and a sprinkle of ground chipotle pepper  and they are delicious!  I also use them in the my red beans and rice, chili mac, and quick chili.
Anywho, if you want to try this here's how.....

You'll need a big stock pot, some dried kidney beans, and some pickling salt as well as your basic pressure canning supplies.

Put your dried beans in your pot and cover them with lots of water.  Then let them sit overnight.  In the morning, drain off your soak water and add fresh water to cover beans by about 2".  Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes.  Put hot beans in hot jars and cover with hot bean liquid, leaving 1/2" headroom.  Wipe threads and jar rim clean then put on simmered lids and rings.  Process in pressure canner for 75 minutes (pints) at 10 lbs pressure.  Of course this is different at different altitudes. 

Let me know if you've ever canned beans.  I think I'm going to try pinto's next!

My Love for..............

Kidney beans!  Oh how I love kidney beans!  I'd forgotten how much I like healthy food due to my 2 month foray to the dark side.  Today for a snack I had 1/2 cup of home canned kidney beans sprinkled with chipotle pepper, and topped with some chopped onion.  Delish!  Did I mention that you've never enjoyed kidney beans until you've eaten some you've canned yourself?  They are so creamy and good!  I eat them cold right out of the jar! 

I'm also in love with onions.  Oh onions you lowly vegetable!  With your crunchy spicy sweetness, how I adore you in all ways!

It feels good to be waxing poetic about good food again!  ;)  And no cracks about what beans and onions might do to my digestive system.....I can be fit and farty, or fat and farty........isn't it better to be gassy from good food than from bad?  ;)

Till next time......I'm unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

Makin' Soap and Cannin' Beans........

Yesterday I was a busy Goodwife!  Got up, milked, went for a nice brisk walk with The Youngun, made buttermilk pancakes for her breakfast, did our schooling, then I made soap and canned kidney beans!  I love busy days! 

When making soap, the first and most important rule is SAFETY FIRST!

Yeah, I know that Cosmo could show up at my door any second, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!  I also have to tell you how annoyed I am that that cupboard door was open!  I had no idea until I saw these pictures......I considered recreating the whole scene and retaking all the pictures, but then I thought surely you would all understand even if it drives me batty!

This is my lye solution cooling in the sink while I melt my fats.  Notice I've got the pitcher marked Lye Only!  Don't want to make iced tea in my lye pitcher on accident!

This is my fat melting on the stove.  I also only use this pot for making soap and that wooden spoon only for soap. 

After the fats are melted, I put the fats and the lye in the cold water and try to equalize the temperature.

Once the temp is right, you s-l-o-w-l-y pour the lye into the fat, stirring all the while.

Stirring, stirring, and more stirring, that's the way you make soap!

Then you check for "trace" which means you can see trailings of the soap on top of the soap in the pot when you drizzle it from the spoon.

Here is my soap in my mold.  Next I will put the lid on and wrap the soap in a double layer of bath towels, and put it in a nice warm place to set for 2 days.

We shall leave our soap to "soap" for 48 hours.  Check back in two days for the next step!

I also canned up some kidney beans today.  I love beans!  I recently discovered that canned kidney beans have all sorts of stupid stuff added to them that I don't really want to eat, so I've decided to can my own.  It's super easy and they are yum-dilly-ish-ous!  Tomorrow I think I'm going to make pork and beans and see how they turn out.

Hope you are having a wonderful and blessed day!

Til next time................God Bless!