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Dilly Beans

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Snacks" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Putting things up is a time-honored Southern practice that has come back into vogue. Once a necessity to provide food for the long winter months, canning is now a popular hobby from rural farms to urban lofts. I am a summertime canning obsessive, so all my cheese platters include the fruits (and vegetables) of my canning labors. Add the relish tray has always been a popular addition to the Southern table, with pickled green beans a favorite. In this simplified recipe, no canning is required. These quick pickles are delicious to eat out of hand but also make a spectacular garnish for a Bloody Mary."

List of Ingredients

◦ � pound fresh green beans (enough to fill a quart jar)
◦ 2 cloves garlic, peeled
◦ 4 to 5 sprigs fresh dill
◦ 2 cups apple cider vinegar
◦ 2 cups water
◦ 4 tablespoons canning salt or 3 tablespoons table salt
◦ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
◦ � teaspoon mustard seeds
◦ � teaspoon dill seeds


Recipe

Trim the ends off the beans, making sure they are a length to stand in the jar. Blanch the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and cover with ice cubes to stop the cooking. Toss the ice around to get to all the beans. Drain.

Clean a 1-quart jar with a 2-piece lid. Stack the beans, garlic, and dill sprigs in the jar. I find it easiest to do this with the jar on its side, so that the beans stack on top of each other and stay upright.

Bring the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and seeds to a full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes. Carefully pour the liquid over the beans in the jar to cover, leaving � inch headspace at the top. Immediately put on the top and screw on the band. Leave to cool 8 hours or so, then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. There may be more pickling liquid than you need; save it in the fridge for your next batch or discard.

Makes 1 quart or 2 pint jars






❧ Note:
Old-fashioned versions of this pickle always look so pretty with full heads of dill tucked inside, so if you have dill growing or a place where you can buy full dill seeds, use about three of those with 1 dill sprig.