Dilly Beans!

Now I've heard of Dilly Bars, which bring back fond memories of visiting my grandparents (and their aptly named Dilly dog) and walking to the Dairy Queen, for the delicious circle of ice cream dipped in chocolate and served on a stick. So when I heard the name Dilly Beans, from a friend at Eager Appetite, I was immediately tickled and had to make them! What is a dilly bean, you ask? Well, it's nothing other than a fresh-from-the-garden green bean that's been decked out in delicious herbs and spices, and pickled in a salty vinegar brine.

My foray into the world of pickling began with a trip to the grocery store to gather the hardware and a couple items that I don't keep stocked in the fridge: Kerr pint canning jars, canning salt, white vinegar, and a jalepeno. The second stop was at the local farm for a bushel of dill and the guest of honor. It was fun to pick out a three foot tall bouquet of fresh dill! The creepy crawlies were free of charge, but I kindly left them behind ;)

While I've canned jams and jellies, I don't can enough to make it worth buying a water bath canner, and my 8 quart pot serves me well. I snapped my greens, chopped my garlic, and decapitated my dill flowers as my jars bubbled and boiled for 10 minutes to sterilize them. I also used this time to bring the brine to a boil.

After a quick assembly into the hot jars, I ladled the brine over the top.

Pretty little green things!

They were just so inviting that I had a hard time putting on the lids and sealing them up! Good bye, dilly greens, I'll taste you in 6 weeks!

Don't forget the shopping list! (Compliments of my friend, and the Ball Blue Book guide to preserving)

Dilly Beans

Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts

2 pounds green beans

1/4 cup canning salt

2 1/2 cups white vinegar

2 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided

4 cloves garlic

4 heads dill

1 jalepeno, sliced (friend's addition, which I chose to follow)

Trim the ends off green beans. Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 clove garlic, 1 head dill, and 1 or 2 slices of jalepeno to each pint jar. Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Pickled vegetables take up to 6 weeks to ferment, so place the pints in a location that will maintain a consistent temperature of about 70-75 degrees. To avoid damage from sun exposure, and to avoid you sneaking a dilly bean before it's ready, find a dark space in your pantry for their hiding place.

From one hearty appletite to another...happy cooking!