recipe | dilly beans

dilly bean delights... Everytime I think of dilly beans, I think of Mrs. Archer, a neighbor of my parents up in Midcoast Maine. Mrs. Archer was the epitome of the self-reliant Maine woman. The sweater she's wearing, she knitted. The coffee table where we sat and ate homemade jam, she built. But her gardens, her glorious gardens that overflowed with vegetables and flowers. Mrs. Archer used every single thing she grew to its maximum, and it was she who introduced my family to Dilly Beans.

Now Mrs. Archer wouldn't think of cold packing her pickles, I tend to prefer the refrigerator route myself for most pickling. I just finished making two jars of cold pack dilly beans, but I am also going to try my hand at the hot water method in a little bit.

Cold Pack Refrigerator Dilly Beans Makes: 1 quart jar Pack into one sterilized wide-mouth quart jar: 2 cups blanched green beans, trimmed in length to fit completely in the jar without sticking out the top 1/2 white onion, sliced thin 2 sprigs fresh dill 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes For the brine: 3/4 cup white vinegar 3/4 cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon kosher salt Combine all brine ingredients in a medium covered saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour cooled brine over beans. Tighten lid and place jar in the fridge for at least two days before eating. Store in refrigerator for up to six months. Dilly Beans (hot bath method) About 8 pints 4 lb. fresh tender green or yellow beans (5 to 6 inches long) 8 to 16 heads fresh dill 8 cloves garlic (optional) 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity) 4 cups water 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (optional) Wash and trim ends from beans and cut to 4" lengths. In each hot sterile pint jar, place 1 to 2 dill heads, and if desired, 1 clove of garlic. Place whole beans upright in jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Trim beans to ensure proper fit, if necessary. Combine salt, vinegar, water and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Add hot solution to beans, leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust lids and process for five minutes.