Motivated by Steve's encouragement, we set to pickling beans this weekend. I've known that this was an impending task, but when it came down to it, I was more interested in relaxing pregnant-style on the couch. After Steve came in from the garden with 3.5 pounds of beans and started pulling out our canning supplies, I found the motivation to join him in work.
In no time at all, the beans were snapped (thanks to my enthusiastic helper), cleaned and ready for their jars.
Here's how it came together.
Dilly Beans
Gather ::
3.5 pounds of beans
9 pint sized jars
dill seed
mustard seed (from last year's mustard crop)
peppercorns
peeled whole garlic cloves
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbs kosher salt
5 Cups apple cider vinegar
5 Cups water
* In a medium sized sauce pan boil the water, vinegar and salt. Prepare sterilized jars and add to each: 1 tsp of dill seed, mustard seed, peppercorns and 1-2 cloves of garlic. Pack well with washed beans, leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Cover with water/vinegar mixture. Process in a hot bath for 5-15 minutes, depending on the elevation where you live: 0-1,000ft 5 min, 1,000-6,000ft 10 min, above 6,000ft 15 min.
These have been a favorite snack all winter and our last jar has but 5-6 more pickles in it. Good timing on this harvest. And it looks like we'll be making dozens more in the coming days and weeks. There will be little freezing happening this season with our upcoming move, so bring on the pickles!
*(Please read more detailed information about safe canning practices. This recipe is but a flavor guideline for how we processed our pickles.)
