Dilly Green Beans

    These sassy green beans are a natural in a Bloody Mary cocktail, but don’t think they’re just for drinks. Cut up, they make a wonderful salad garnish and are perfectly happy lounging on the side of a plate, next to a sandwich. Betcha’ can’t eat just one!

Makes 8 pints

• 4 pounds green beans, washed
• 4 peeled garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 flowering dill weed heads
• 2 Tablespoons dill seeds
• 2 Tablespoons black peppercorns
• 4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Canning & Pickling salt, or kosher salt
• optional: jalapeno pepper slices or whole small chiles

Note: Prepare canning jars before starting your preserving project. 

1.) Trim stem end of bean (leave "tail" end) and cut one bean about 1 inch shorter than the height of the pint jar. Save the measured bean to use as a guide, and either using a kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim the rest of the beans. Note: some people find it's easier to pack the beans as they work, others like to trim all the green beans first, then pack them; it's up to you. 

2.) Pack the beans snugly, lengthwise, into clean pint jars. Holding the jar on it's side with your non-dominant hand makes this job much easier.

3.) Place a dill head into each jar, then sprinkle the garlic, dill seeds, and peppercorns evenly amongst the eight jars. If you want a spicy option, add sliced jalapeno peppers at this point or tuck a one whole small chile length-wise into the jar, parallel to the beans.

4.) In a large pan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring & cooking just long enough to dissolve sugar and salt, then pour over the beans, covering the contents of the jar by ½ inch, then leaving ½ inch headspace.

5.) Release any trapped air bubbles by carefully running a chopstick or other non-metallic utensil around the edges.

6.) Wipe the rim of each jar clean. I like to use a slightly-damp paper towel.

7.) Place lids on jars, and screw bands on fingertip-tight. 

8.) Place jars on a rack in a canning kettle or large stockpot, making sure jar tops are covered with at least 1" of hot water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to a boil and process in a Boiling Water Bath for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars rest for 5 minutes in the kettle.

9.) Remove jars from kettle using jar-lifter tongs and place on a towel on your kitchen counter, preferably in a draft-free place.

10.) Let rest for 24 hours, then check for proper seal before storing.  If jars lids seal*, store them in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

*Check lids for a proper seal by pressing  down on the middle of the lid with a finger or thumb. If the lid stays down, it is sealed and will easily keep for up to one year in a cool dark place. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed. Place unsealed jars in your refrigerator and eat within 3 months, or within one month after opening.

Helpful tip: If you have leftover brine after filling the jars, make fridge pickles. Simply add raw cut-up veggies or hard-cooked eggs plus fresh or dried herbs and /or dried chili flakes to brine and let them sit for a week or so to soak up the briny goodness. Same goes for the brine that's left in the jar after you eat all the Dilly Green Beans. Reuse that tasty brine!

Blue Ribbon Dill Pickles

Crunchy, zesty and a real crowd-pleaser, this is a classic dill pickle. It can be eaten after a 24 hour waiting period, but will continue to become more flavorful with time, especially if you add peppers and/or garlic to the brine. Speaking of brine, if you have an issue with sodium, you can cut the salt back by as much as half, but the pickles won't taste the same, of course.

 Makes 4 quarts

•  Approx. 3 dozen medium sized pickling cucumbers, gently scrubbed clean
  
• 4 clusters fresh flowering dill heads
• 8 peeled garlic cloves (optional: more or less as desired)
• 4 hot peppers (optional: more or less as desired)
• 3 cups distilled white vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 6 TBS "canning & pickling" salt (or less, as desired)
• 1 tsp dill seed
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seed
• 1 tsp brown mustard seed (optional)

Note: Prepare canning jars before starting your preserving project.

1.) Into each wide-mouth quart jar, put one or more hot peppers, plus one cluster of fresh dill, and 2 or more garlic cloves.

2.) Cut 1/8”-1/4” from the blossom* end of the each cuke, and pack them into jars atop garlic, dill and peppers.

3.) In a pan, combine vinegar, water, dill seeds and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil, and then pour over cucumbers, leaving ½” head space.

4.) Release any trapped air bubbles by carefully running a chopstick or other non-metallic utensil around the edges.

5.) Wipe the rims of the jars clean. I find a damp paper towel works well for this.

6.) Set lids on jars, and screw rings on finger-tight.

7.) Place jars on rack in boiling water bath canner or large stockpot, and be sure jars are covered with at least 1" of boiling water. You might need to add more water, using a clean jar or water pitcher.

8.) Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and bring water to a boil.

9.) Process in a Boiling Water Bath Canner for 10** minutes.

10.) Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars rest for 5 minutes in the canner/stockpot.

11.) Remove from BWB canner using tongs and let the jars sit on the counter, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Test seals by pushing down on the center of the lid. If it flexes up & down, it is not sealed. If it stays down, the seal was successful.

12.) If jars lid seals it will easily keep for one year in a cool, dark place. If jar doesn't seal, place it in your refrigerator and eat within 6 months. 

*It is important to cut off the blossom end, as it contains enzymes that can make pickles undesirably soft.

**0-1000 ft: process 10 minutes

1,001-6,000 ft: process 15 minutes

Above 6,000 ft: process 20 minutes

Link to article about making Blue Ribbon Dills!