It was a couple years back that I was introduced to some canned dilly beans by a fellow colleague. Up to that point, I wasn't crazy about the green or the yellow bean. I ate them 2-3 times a year, usually boiled in water for a dinner meal. The factor that really caught my attention after sampling a canned green bean was the crispy texture and the slight hint of cayenne pepper in the marinade. It just worked really well together and I could see myself eating more of these.
Last summer I visited the local regional farmers market and purchased 2-3 lbs of green beans and 1-2 lbs of left over scrawny looking yellow beans. I got the same recipe from my colleague and canned a few jars of both beans. After 3-4 months of hanging out in the pantry we gave it a try one fall evening for dinner. We noticed that the yellow beans were still crispy but a little softer then the green and we favored the yellow beans over the green beans. From that point on we knew we would be canning them again.
With a new garden in place this year, we decided to plant a few bushes and see how well they grow. We planted everything in the garden at the end of May. And it seemed like most of the herbs, strawberries, radishes and sweet peas took off really fast but it took forever to see the beans come up. But once they got a few leaves, they took off. I also never appreciated how wide the bushes grow and begin to crowd other bushes. Next year it would be a good idea to plant the bushes a bit further apart.
I was amazed to see how many beans grow on one bush. Total crop so far this year has been around 10 lbs of beans.
It was just nice to know when prepping the beans that no pesticides nor herbicides were used on the plants. All the beans needed was a quick rinse with cold water.
At this point I had several jars and lids washed, sterilized in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees F, and ready to be filled. We had plenty of dill in the garden so I placed generous amounts of it in each jar along with a clove of garlic cut in half.
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs green or yellow beans
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
4 cloves of garlic
4 heads of dill
The next tedious part of canning beans was cutting them to length so they would fit in the jar. Always use scissors because it's easier and faster. To start place the jar on its side and begin filling until all the beans are tight then place upright and finish filling the jar.
The next step can be modified to your taste preferences. The recipe calls for 1 tsp of cayenne pepper divided among 4 pint jars. We definitely enjoy the cayenne pepper taste but in moderation. The same goes for the whole peppercorns. I placed 3-5 peppercorns in each jar.
DILLY BEAN MARINADE
2.5 c water
2.5 c white vinegar
1/4 Kosher salt (1/4 c canning salt)
Combine the marinade ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. This time I filled all of the jars first then made the marinade to see exactly how much marinade I will need. Once it boiled, begin filling each jar up to about 1/4 of an inch from the top. Place the lids on immediately after filling the jar to begin the sealing process.
By this point I had prepared my water bath and it was gently boiling on the stove. After some recent reading I learned that the time that the jars need to boil varies based on the elevation above sea level. At 1,000 ft- 3,000 ft above sea level the boiling time is 5 minutes. 3-6,000 ft its 10 minutes. There is a chart available online for those interested in a visual.
The beans already look so delicious when they come out of the water bath. Allow 24 hrs for the jars to sit at room temperature before you put them away in the pantry/cellar. I recommend not opening the first jar for at least 3 months, allowing the marinade to work through every part of the bean and solidify a great taste.
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