In the foreground you have microwave burritos. Cost per person $5 at the Family Dollar General Tree.
In the background you have canning chickpeas and black beans. The chickpeas have already exited the canner. The black beans are about to go in. A pound of dried chickpeas or black bean is about $1.50. You will get 7 pints out of both. The current price for generic canned beans is about 90¢. Cost to can 7 cans of the beans: 22¢ per jar.
My back hurt too much to do the dinner I planned. But I had enough in me to can some stuff for the future.


For canning I do a oil for 5 minutes and then hot soak for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the bean. Then I put them in the jar with a little bit of room for expansion. Then I fill with boiling water leaving 1 in of headspace. Then I can pints for 75 minutes after all the venting and bringing the pressure.
Thanks. So they do most of their cooking in the jar. I have not heard of using oil before. I’ll give it a try.
Yes, similar to a raw or cold pack method most of the cooking happens in the jar once it’s in the pressure canner.