The approved procedure gives you 2 choices so I am assuming this is what you are referring to, right? Procedure: Place dried beans or peas in a large pot and cover with water. Soak 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Drain water. To quickly hydrate beans, you may cover sorted and washed beans with boiling water in a saucepan. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour and drain. Cover beans soaked by either method with fresh water and boil 30 minutes. My personal preference is the long 12-18 hour soak - much better hydration. But then we are old and don't chew things as well. ;) Seriously, we find they absorb which ever flavorings are used better. The quick soak is more of a plain bean with a coating taste...if that makes sense. Dave

Is the processing time for pints 75 minutes? Yes for plain beans using the cooking water. Only the weight changes per altitude. If you are under 2000 feet it is 10 or 11 lbs. depending on the type of pressure canner you are using. But with vegetable stock you could be moving into the Soup category and that means the pH would be more low-acid and the 1/2 and 1/2 rule would apply - half liquids and half solids? Is it strained stock or does it contain vegetables? Dave

Wow, lots of info. Thanks! Looks like alot of cultivars will run some. I'll keep stearing mine back into the raised bed and clip off any that get toooo unruly. My attempts at growing demo beds of local farm commodities has been interesting. I better find local farmer contacts so I don't have too many more surprises! My back yard veggie gardening knowledge hasn't helped much with some of the things I've tried recently....but it has been fun and interesting.

LINDAS BEAN SOUP This recipe is my own concoction. I adjust all the spices and ingredients to my taste, so IÂll give you the basics, and you have to go with it from there. Be sure to go easy with the spices in the beginning because the flavors intensify as the cooking continues. You can always add more, but you canÂt remove what is already there. **-Beans, either dry 16 oz. Bag (must soak overnight or follow directions on package) or canned about 4 cans (drain); (I use pinto or black beans, but any beans will work) -Bacon cut up (about ½ to 1 pound for a large pot) -Onions & Garlic (chopped) (I use a large onion and a whole head of garlic) -Chicken broth (about 3 32 oz. cans or cartons of broth) -Sausage (4 or 5 links) -Tomatoes (both chopped and whole) (fresh or canned) about 2 cans chopped and 4 fresh whole tomatoes -Rotel tomatoes (one or two cans) -Peppers fresh (jalapeno, Serrano, habanero) (I use one each-whole) -Beer (one can) -Cilantro (one bunch; the whole bunch including stems) -Fresh Chives and/or green onions (one bunch) -Oregano (fresh or dried) if using fresh herbs always use 3 times that of dried herbs -Cumin (1/4 cup) -Cayenne Pepper (one tablespoon) -Chili Powder (1/4 cup) -Salt & Pepper (freshly ground) to taste -Green Pepper (optional) -Rice (Optional) I fry up the bacon and add the onions and garlic. Be sure not to overcook the garlic or it will get bitter. If this happens, you might as well start over because burned garlic is really bad. Then I add the sausage and brown it. Again make sure you donÂt overcook the garlic. Then I add the broth, beans, a beer, the tomatoes, Rotel peppers, fresh peppers (I use one of each) and all the spices and then finish with water to cover the beans by about 2". Bring to boil (do not allow it to burn) and then reduce heat to simmer. Depending on whether I use dried beans or fresh beans, the cooking time will vary. With dried beans, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to cook. You can then serve the beans with sour cream, fresh chives, fresh tomatoes, fresh onions, and fresh cilantro. Also if you want, you can add some rice (either cooked or uncooked) directly into the beans towards the end of the cooking period. Or you can just serve the beans over a bed of rice. I use yellow rice, but white rice works just as well. The rice will give you more of a full feeling, if you know what I mean. Linda Texas P. S. Funny store. One day I had a pot of beans on the stove and had to run to the store, so I asked my DH to keep an eye on the beans so they would not burn. I was gone longer than expected, and when I came back, because the beans had reduced a lot of the liquid, DH came to the rescue. During the hour or two I was gone, he managed to keep putting beer into the beans rather than water. He put in a whole six-pack of beer (UGH)!! Anyway, I managed to rescue the beans by adding massive amounts of water and reducing the water. They were "OK", but I highly recommend only one beer and not an entire six-pack. **When using black beans add 2 to 4 smoked ham hocks for great flavor.