Canning Vegetables

Canning Vegetables

Canning is a great way to preserve your seasons harvest. The below varieties have qualities that make them better suited and tasting for with standing the canning process. These are the best canning vegetable varieties for home gardeners.

The Mushroom Basket is a large, uniquely shaped tomato with a delicious juicy sweet flavor, originating from Russia. This plant produces enormous 8-16 ounce ruffled tomatoes that are colored bright pink. These plants are Indeterminate and do require a sturdy trellis. The Mushroom Basket tomatoes are the perfect tomatoes for slicing!

An early maturing heirloom cabbage. Early Jersey Wakefield is an early variety of cabbage with pointed heads that resist splitting! A great home garden cabbage with great flavor!

Roma II beans, also known as Romano beans or Italian flat beans, are a popular variety of green beans known for their exceptional flavor and unique appearance. These beans have a rich history dating back to ancient Rome, where they were cultivated and enjoyed for their culinary versatility. Roma II beans are distinct from traditional green beans due to their flat, wide pods and are favored by many for their tender, meaty texture and delicious taste. The taste of Roma II beans is often described as nutty and slightly sweeter than regular green beans, making them a sought-after choice in various culinary dishes. These beans are typically harvested when they are about 4-6 inches long, ensuring optimal tenderness and flavor. The plants of Roma II beans are known to be vigorous and can reach a height of about 18-24 inches. They have a relatively short maturity period, usually taking around 60 days to reach harvest readiness from the time of planting. The pods of Roma II beans are typically a vibrant green color and can grow to be 5-6 inches long. Roma II beans are prized for their resistance to common bean diseases, including common mosaic virus, rust, and bacterial brown spot, which can help ensure a healthy harvest. When properly cared for, these plants can yield a bountiful crop. For optimal growth, Roma II beans should be spaced about 3-4 inches apart in rows that are 18-24 inches apart. They thrive in well-drained soil and require full sun exposure, making them a great addition to any home garden or farm. Overall, Roma II beans are a delightful and versatile choice for those looking to grow and enjoy fresh, flavorful beans.

Contender beans, scientifically known as Phaseolus vulgaris 'Contender,' are a popular variety of green snap beans that have a rich history and are prized by gardeners for their excellent flavor and productivity. Originating from the United States, Contender beans have been a favorite among home gardeners and commercial growers for many decades. This heirloom variety was first introduced in the 1940s and has since become a classic choice for those looking to cultivate delicious and reliable green beans. Contender beans typically produce uniform, straight pods that range in size from 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 cm) in length. The pods are slender and tender, making them ideal for fresh consumption, canning, or freezing. The plants themselves are compact and bushy, reaching a height of about 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm), which makes them well-suited for smaller garden spaces or container gardening. In terms of maturity, Contender beans are known for their relatively quick growth. They typically reach maturity in approximately 50 to 55 days after planting. These beans thrive in full sun and well-drained soil with good organic matter content. They are relatively easy to grow and require regular watering to maintain consistent soil moisture. Contender beans are a favorite among gardeners for their reliability, versatility, and the delectable taste of their tender green pods.

The Detroit Dark Red is the standard all-purpose heirloom beet! This is by far the most popular beet for home gardens. Detroit Dark Red has blood red flesh that is very sweet and tasty. Beets are perfectly round with no rings or streaks. Has 13-16" greens that are wonderful mixed into salads. Very prolific and good keeper. This heirloom was first introduced in 1892 by Mr. Reeves of Ontario, Canada.

The Rattlesnake bean is absolutely beautiful and tasty. This variety is a popular, heavy producing pole bean. Great for eating fresh, freezing or canning when pods are young. Great color of dark purple stripes on top of dark green skin. A home garden standard for generations.

Strike beans are one of the heaviest yielding bush beans on the market. Continuous setting feature protects grower from stress, better than concentrated set types. Medium green, 5" round pod with good disease tolerance. Excellent flavor that is very popular with commercial growers.

The Kentucky Wonder is an heirloom pole bean plant with high yields and a dark green color! Delicious heirloom pole bean with heavy yields. Kentucky Wonder is a popular heirloom that is easy to grow in all parts of the country. An all-purpose bean that taste great fresh, freezing or canning when pods are young. For stringless and most tender beans harvest when they are young and only 4-5". When left to fully mature, Kentucky Wonder is a good shelling bean. Beans are light green for fresh eating and dry to pale brown color. Get multiple harvest from these prolific producers. Previous nicknames include "Old Homestead" and "Texas Pole". Kentucky Wonder first appeared in mid 1800's. Seed for sale in 1 oz. 1/4 lb., 1 lb., 5 lbs., 25 lbs. and 100 lb. packages.

The Topcrop bean is a great bean for canning and freezing. Topcrop got its name for a reason. This bean plant grows a heavy, concentrated set of beans. One of the best known beans around. Harvest on the early side of maturity to get small and tender beans. Delicious eaten fresh off the vine!

The Kentucky Wonder 125 bean is a wonderful bush bean that is above the others! Kentucky Wonder 125 Bush Bean matures early than most bush beans and produces beans in clusters over a long season. The bush beans’ meaty, medium-green pods are 8 inches and packed with delicious, extra-tasty bean seeds.

The Pencil Pod Black Wax bean is a highly productive and long standing bush bean. Also known as 'Eastern Black Wax', these beans are bushy, vigorous, and resistant to rust and mosaic virus. The pods are golden color and grow to 5-7" long. A great all-purpose type, that is great fresh, canned, or frozen. As the name hints, the seeds are black.

The Landreth Stringless bean is a very old heirloom that debuted by D. Landreth Seed Company in the late 1800's. A meaty bean, very flavorful, stringless bean and produces heavy yields. The pods are medium green in color and a little over 5” long. The seeds are a rich chocolate or coffee brown. This bean is excellent for the home garden, market garden and canner.

The delicious buttery flavor of the Golden Wax Bush Bean make it a favorite among home gardeners! The stringless bright yellow pods are resistant common bean mosaic virus. The plant can produce pods 5-6 inches long. The Golden Wax beans are wonderful for canning, freezing and as a dry shell bean!