A Day in the Life of an Amateur Gardener: Refrigerator Spicy Garlic Dilly Beans & Pickles

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Refrigerator Spicy Garlic Dilly Beans & Pickles

I recently learned about Dilly Beans. Dilly beans are pickled green beans. I found this recipe for Spicy Garlic Dilly Refrigerator Beans and I had to try it out with some of my recent bush beans I harvested. They were fairly easy to make and they were ready in 4 days. They had a wonderful flavor and were very crispy. I have to say they were not real spicy, which I was glad for since I am a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. I am wondering with time if they will get spicy, we shall see. The only thing I would change with the recipe would be to use less vinegar, it was a little over powering. I also made some pickles using the same recipe.

Spicy Garlic Dilly Refrigerator Beans

2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered lengthwise (I used 3)
5 sprigs dill, or four large pinches of dried dill weed
4 tsp mustard seed (I used 3)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 lb green or wax beans, trimmed to fit jars when standing on end
2 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
Run 2 pint or 4 half-pint canning jars and lids through the dishwasher. (I used 1 1/2 pint jars so I had to make extra brine, what I did was triple the brine ingredients)
Heat the water, vinegar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Meanwhile, add add garlic cloves, dill, mustard seed, pepper flakes and peppercorns to the clean jars. Add beans to jars, filling snugly and keeping them standing upright. Carefully ladle the hot brine into each jar, filling to about 1/4 inch below the rim. Here’s where a canning funnel comes in handy if you have one. Saves some messy, hot dribbles. Don’t worry if you don’t have a funnel, just be careful. Close the jars tightly, using oven mitts or folded paper towels to protect your hands. Allow them to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate. For best flavor wait about 4 days. They will last in the refrigerator for 1 month.