Yellow wax beans have a pretty pale color and slightly sweet flavor. They can be hard to come by in stores, so the Reese family grows them in their garden. If you live in an area where they are popular, you may be able to find fresh beans at a local farmers’ market. These beans were a blue ribbon winner for Barbara at the State Fair of Virginia, but when she and her daughters entered these beans in the Prince William County Fair, there was no youth category so they were competing against one another. Although they all took home their share of blue ribbons for this recipe, the girls loved it when they beat Barbara!
MAKES: about 8 pint jars or four 1-quart jars
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 pounds yellow wax beans
- 4 teaspoons table salt
- Boiling water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse the beans thoroughly and drain well. Trim the ends and remove any strings, then snap the beans into 1-inch pieces.
- Pack the beans into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add ½ teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar.
- Ladle the boiling water into the jars, covering the beans and maintaining the 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. If necessary, add more liquid to maintain the headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel. Apply hot lids and screw bands.
- Process pint jars for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure in a dial-gauge pressure canner or at 10 pounds of pressure in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
- After the processing time is complete, remove the canner from the heat. Let the pressure return to zero before removing the jars from the canner. Let cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals and remove the screw bands. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.
