Dilly Beans!

My friend Abner called looking for a Dilly Bean recipe. Seems that his garden had exploded with bushels of yellow and green beans. There were too many to eat, and frozen green beans were not appealing to his family.

Green beans, pole beans, yellow beans, wax beans, purple beans and the French variety haricot verts…beans are a popular garden vegetable. I love picking fresh beans, steaming them lightly and tossing with butter and chopped savory. Their tender pods are delicious when paired with new potatoes in a Salad Nicoise, and cooked beans make a great- on -the run snack.

The recipe for Dilly Beans is perfect for home kitchens and small-scale food processing, as you can prepare just one jar at a time. By working in small quantities, you can take advantage of the bounty that is provided while the vegetables are at their peak. Also, working in small quantities keeps the project manageable and not so overwhelming.

To be organized for your pickle making, stock the pantry with plenty of clean, sterilized jars. The one-pint size works best for pickles, and a wide-mouth jar is easier to fill. Prepare the master brine, being sure to use a salt that contains no additives, as it will cloud your pickles. Sea salt, pickling salt or kosher salt all will work.

Prepare the jars by adding the beans, herbs and spices. This is the fun part. Bumper crop of Thai basil? How about Basil Bean Bites? Like your pickles hot? Add a whole hot pepper. Red peppers and garlic cloves are pretty, and so is a dill blossom.

Heat the brine and fill the jars. To make a shelf-stable product, process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, check the seal and wait six weeks to eat and enjoy!