How to Can Dilly Beans

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Dilly Beans

Yield: About 9 canned pints.

Total Time: 45 minutes prep + 10 minutes in water-bath canner.

Show up at a potluck, a board meeting, or a BBQ with a couple of jars of Dilly Beans, pop one open, and watch the crowd gather! Shout "Dilly Beans!" as loud as you can, and listen to the compliments roll in!

There are three key elements to a jar of Dilly Beans:

• Green Beans (fresh and crisp)
• A pickle brine (ALWAYS follow a tested recipe!)
• Flavoring ingredients (Dill, Garlic, etc.)
  
  

Materials Needed:

• Knife and cutting surface
• 9 Pint jars (more or less, depending on how many beans you'll work with)
• Lids for your jars (new)
• Rings for your jars
• Water-Bath Canning setup
  • Stovetop canner
  • Canning Rack
  • Jar lifter

Ingredients:

      Imperial Units

• 5 lbs Green Beans
• 3/4 cup (7 oz.) salt
• 5 cups Vinegar (5% acidity)
• 5 cups water
  

      Metric Units

• 2.25 kg Green Beans
• 180 ml (200 g) salt
• 1.2 Liters Vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1.2 Liters water
  

Optional Ingredients:

• 3-4 heads Garlic
• 12 sprigs fresh dill
• Other flavoring ingredients (peppers, spices, mustard seed, carrots, onion...)

Directions:

1. Remove stems from beans. Pick them off with your fingers OR just line some beans up and chop them off.
2. Wash your beans! Whether you grew them or purchased them, starting with clean beans is important.
3. Mix your brine.
   1. You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, as long as it is labled as being at least 5% acidity.
   2. Mix water, vinegar, and salt together in a pot.
4. Prepare your other ingredients:
   1. Since everything you add to these jars will be pickled by the brine, you can add other vegetables, spices, or herbs to experiment! Just don't reduce the amount of vinegar in the recipe.
   2. We peeled enough garlic cloves to add 1-3 to each jar.
   3. Pick a few sprigs of dill to give these beans their namesake.
   4. We chose to add a couple of slices of habanero pepper to each jar for spice, color, and flavor.
   5. Try adding mustard seed, dill seed, sliced carrots, onions, leeks, or other spices. Each batch can be unique!
5. Bring your brine to a boil.
   1. Bring this to a rolling boil on the stove.
   2. If your brine boils before you're ready to use it, that's okay; keep it hot, and cover it until you're ready to use it.
6. Prepare your canner.
   1. Fill your canner with water, leaving 4-5 inches of room (water will be displaced when you add your jars).
   2. Put your clean jars into the canner.
   3. Bring the canner water to a simmer.
   4. When you're ready, line up your hot jars on a counter or table for filling.
7. Pack the jars.
   1. Put your flavoring ingredients into the jars.
   2. Line up your beans and pack as many as you can into the jars.
8. Add your hot brine.
   1. Leave 1/2 inch of headspace between the brine and the jar lid.
   2. Be sure that all ingredients are submerged below the hot liquid.
9. Can your beans!
   1. Follow standard water-bath canning techniques; put your jars into your canner and wait for the canner to come to a rolling boil.
   2. Process for 10 minutes.
10. Store them!
1. Store in a cool, dark place, without their rings. As with most pickles, wait a few weeks before eating.

Recipe Source: https://themasonjarsuite.squarespace.com/videos/how-to-can-dilly-beans

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Frequently Asked Questions and Quick Tips!

Never be afraid to ask!

1. What if I have brine left over after filling the jars?
   Just put it in a container and put a lid on it; save it in your refrigerator for the next batch of beans!
2. Does it matter what kind of salt I use?
   Table salt and other very fine-grained salts weigh more per given volume, so be cautious if measuring by volume.
   Experiment with different salts; pure salts without iodine or additives are preferred, as minerals can discolor your beans.
3. How long will these beans keep?
   Like many pickle recipes, it is recommended to consume most of your jars within 1 year. The longer they sit after that, the more likely the beans will be softer or discolored.