Dilly beans

Last week, before I left for my trip, I had a moment of panic as I searched through my gardens for things to pick. I found one yellow bean, one striped bean, then dozens more. I left the garden with my hands full, clutching at least a pound of fat string beans.

What was I to do with this delicious garden produce that came from my sweat and tears? Pickle them of course. So I made some dilly beans.

Have you ever pickled anything? I love pickles, and you can pickle just about anything. I usually make refrigerator pickles so I can skip the step of processing the jars. They stay good in the fridge for an couple months.

I used a wide mouth one quart mason jar, which I washed in hot soapy water and let air dry.

I cut the stem ends off all the beans. You could cut them if they did not fit in your jar, but I did not need to.

I started boiling 1 cup white vinegar, one cup water and a healthy 2 tablespoons salt.

On the bottom of my jar I put one tablespoon of mustard seed, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, three smashed garlic cloves, and a garden jalapeno that I chopped up.

I turned the jar on its side and put in 3 healthy sprigs of dill. Then I started packing the beans in until the jar was stuffed. Holding the jar sideways is an easy way to keep control over the only slightly rowdy green beans.

Once the jar was full, I poured over the boiling brine and put the top on the jar. You should let them sit at least 48 hours before eating one but I could not help myself.

I heard that blanching the green beans first keeps their colors mostly intact. I did not care about this, but if you do, you can boil them for a minute then immerse in an ice bath before you pack them into the jars.

This is a good way to use up garden veggies if you are swimming in beans like I was!