Herbed Dilly Beans
Dilly beans are a tasty way to preserve a green bean harvest. These spicy, crunchy green bean pickles are rockstars on a charcuterie board, set out on a buffet, or just snacked on out of the jar. This recipe adds fresh herbs to the traditional dill, garlic, and red peppers for a more complex flavor. Dig in!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons sea salt
- 10 cloves garlic
- 10 dried dill flower heads (or teaspoons dill seed)
- 10 dried cayenne peppers
- 50 black peppercorns
- 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Enough fresh oregano and thyme to add a few stems to each jar
Instructions
- Prepare your water bath canner and wash your pint jar. Put new lids on low heat to simmer.
- Wash your beans and trim off the ends. Cut them to fit the jars. You can save the small cut parts to blanch and freeze for soup, or saute up for dinner.
- Pour the vinegar, water, and salt into a saucepan and let it come to a boil.
- If you are using whole dill flower heads, lay the jar on its side and put the flower in the jar so that it looks like a firework! Otherwise, pour the dill seeds and peppercorns into each jar and then pack the beans into the jars neatly. Tuck the hot pepper and garlic cloves into each jar.
- Carefully ladle the hot brine into the jars and leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Use a chopstick to remove air bubbles and add more brine if needed.
- Wipe the rims clean, put on the lids and rings, and process the jars in the hot water bath for 10 minutes. When they are dry, label and date them and store them in a dark, cool place. You can eat them right away but they’ll be more flavorful if you wait at least a week before eating them.
- If you don’t use a water bath canner, these are good for about 6 months if stored in the refrigerator.
