Dilly Beans

Ok, ok.

So I know I told you I was going to make three meals with green beans, but I'm bumping that up to four.

Only because I briefly forgot to mention that none of these recipes including MY favorite way of eating green beans, which happens to be the pickled way.  So, I'm going to include that today, just in case you were having a hard enough time trying to narrow down your Easter menu to one recipe.

To be fair, these beans are not really the side dish kind of beans, but more of a creative addition to your appetizer - slash - relish tray.  Since we've always got an overabundance of green beans every summer in New York, there's a lot of different ways to preserve them to enjoy all year long, including pickling.



Dilly Beans
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

3 cups water
1/2 cup pickling salt
3 cups white vinegar
4 heads fresh dill weed
1/4 cup pickling spice
1/4 cup mustard seed
4 dried red chile peppers
8 cloves garlic
3 lbs. green beans

Sterilize four pint jars.

Combine water, salt and vinegar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.

In each jar, pack 1 head of dill, 1 tbsp pickling spice, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 chile pepper and 2 cloves of garlic.  Pack green beans into each jar.

Ladle simmering vinegar mixture into jars.

Process the jars in a hot water bath to seal.  Let the beans sit at least two weeks before unsealing the jar.



Listening to:   Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It