dilly beans

vinegar-preserved green beans are a nice way of saving some of that summer bean crunch for the more lean times of the year.  if you want, you can use the later, tougher beans that arent as tasty on the supper table: they will still taste great.  heres what you will need:

canning jars:  1 1/2 pints is great for efficient bean fit

green beans

garlic

sea salt

whole dry chili peppers

celery seed or pickling spice

fresh flowering dill (optional)

white distilled vinegar

filtered water

approximately 1 1/2 handfuls of trimmed beans fit into a pint jar and 7 jars fit into the (our) canner.  with one pound of greens beans you should be able to do 2-3 jars.

Begin by guessing how many jars you will fill w/ green beans.  wash ‘em up and set aside.  wash and trim your beans to fit 1 inch from the top of the jar.  into each jar place: 1 clove garlic (peeled), 1-2 whole dry chili peppers, 1/4 tsp celery seed (or 1 tsp pickling spice), 1 tsp salt and optional flowering dill.

Now stuff each jar with your trimmed green beans (trimmed part up).  for each jar filled with beans, measure 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water.  place vinegar water mixture in a pot, bring to boil and pour over jars filling to one centimeter of the top of the jar.  seal the jars and place in a large pot of boiling water (or canner) for 10 minutes heat-processing (15 if you live in Covelo or above 1000 ft elevation).  remove from water bath and leave on the counter undisturbed for 12 hours.  jars will make a small popping sound as they seal.  

Dilly beans need at least 6 weeks for full flavor to develop, and they can go a lot longer.  store them on a shelf in the pantry and bring out in time for thanksgiving and holiday treats.  goes great with lots of stuff, including beer and raw oysters.