Green bean question

[Emilyjoy16]

We just pulled the jars of beans out of the pressure canner. The water level looks really low to me, and I'm worried that it means they aren't right. The water level is down below the level of the green beans. Do we need to redo them?

[ilikestrawberryjello]

Bumping for you

[Earthylady]

Did you have the proper amount before you put them into the pressure cooker? Are the green beans floating off the bottom a little?

[Emilyjoy16]

none of them are floating at the top. We did a raw pack, so our finished product looks like a lot less than we put in there. I didn't realize how much they would shrink. But we also have a lot of water. I guess a lot of it boiled off and escaped during processing. Next time I will screw the bands on a little tighter to keep it from happening.
After talking to a grandma who cans a lot, she said they should be fine to eat, so I think all is well. It was our first time canning at all so we were just overly worried I think!

[joanna]

They probably are fine to eat if they're sealed, but next time, after packing the beans & pouring water into the jars, make sure to get all the air bubbles trapped between the beans out, using a rubber spatula or even just a butter knife. I've had the same thing happen to me when I skipped this step.