Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Tested source
This page follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation recipe for Pickled Three-Bean Salad. Keep the tested ingredient proportions, jar sizes, headspace, preparation steps, and altitude-adjusted processing schedule.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare: Set up the boiling-water canner and keep the permitted jars hot.
- Measure: Keep the bean mixture refrigerated for the full 12–14-hour marination period before heating and packing.
- Cook: Follow the tested heating and simmering sequence without shortening it.
- Fill: Hot pack after refrigerated marination; leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Process for the altitude-adjusted time below.
- Cool: Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- Half-pint or pint jars, lids, and bands
- Large nonreactive saucepan
- Knife, cutting board, and food chopper as needed
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Canning funnel and jar lifter
- Bubble remover or headspace tool
- Clean damp cloth and timer
Visual method guide
- Prepare jars and canner.
- Prepare and measure ingredients exactly.
- Complete the tested cooking sequence.
- Hot-pack and leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process for your elevation.
- Cool and verify seals.
Safety essentials
- Use bottled lemon juice and white vinegar labeled 5% acidity, and keep the 12–14-hour refrigerated marination.
- Do not use fresh-squeezed lemon juice, reduce or dilute the vinegar, shorten the refrigerated marination, alter tested proportions, or use jars larger than pints.
- Use only the tested jar sizes and leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Apply the full altitude adjustment.
- Refrigerate any jar that does not seal.
About this recipe
This tested NCHFP recipe preserves pickled three-bean salad using an acidified hot-pack method and boiling-water processing. The expected yield is about 6 half-pint jars.
Before you begin
Keep the bean mixture refrigerated for the full 12–14-hour marination period before heating and packing. Use bottled lemon juice and white vinegar labeled 5% acidity, and keep the 12–14-hour refrigerated marination. Prepare the entire
Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Pickled Three-Bean Salad — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups green or yellow beans cut and blanched
- 1 1/2 cups canned red kidney beans drained
- 1 cup canned garbanzo beans drained
- 1/2 cup onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup celery thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup green pepper sliced
- 1/2 cup white vinegar 5% acidity
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 tsp canning or pickling salt
- 1 1/4 cups water
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Five to six half-pint jars
Directions
- Prepare hot jars and lids. Blanch fresh green or yellow beans for 3 minutes and cool. Rinse and drain the canned kidney and garbanzo beans.
- Combine vinegar, bottled lemon juice, sugar, and water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add oil and salt.
- Add all vegetables and beans to the hot marinade and simmer briefly. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate for 12 to 14 hours.
- Return the entire mixture to a pot and bring to a boil. Pack solids into hot half-pint or pint jars and cover with hot liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply lids.
- Process half-pints or pints for 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 25 minutes above 6,000 ft. Cool 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Chill after opening and serve as a tangy side salad or spoon over leafy salads.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reduce the vinegar or acid?
No. Keep the tested acid type, strength, and proportions.
Can I use larger jars?
No. Use only the jar sizes listed in the tested recipe.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate it promptly or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the full tested process.
Recipe context
Do not combine this record with another preservation formula.
Troubleshooting
Keep the bean mixture refrigerated for the full marination period before heating and packing. Refrigerate any unsealed jar promptly or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the full tested process.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: All Year
Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–25 lb of Pickling cucumbers per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.