My first experiment in pickling. And its killing me! As I mentioned in my previous preserving blog, a pickle in made with brine. Brine needs time to work. Two to three weeks to be exact. So although these green beans look super tasty, its going to take several more days before they actually are tasty. Why green beans you ask? Because they were growing in my momma's garden. We have always had a small variety of food bearing plants around the house (tomatoes, peppers, herbs) but this year my mom took the next step and got a community garden plot. Loads more room for vegetables. Everything that was planted is growing strong, however, the green beans were the only plants ready for harvest when I visited over the weekend. I'm looking forward to many more harvests of green beans so I can play with the flavor of my pickling solutions. I know what your thinking, a pickle is a pickle right? Well think about that again. There are sweet pickles, bread and butter, dill, ect... The same principle apples to anything you pickle. For these green beans I used garlic, dill and chili peppers. The recipe is below.
2lbs fresh green beans, washed and trimmed to fit your jars
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 cup salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 spring fresh dill
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Mix the vinegar, water, salt and garlic is a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and remove garlic. Place beans, dill and crushed red pepper flakes in clean, sterile jars. Pour brine over beans leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles and fit two piece cap. Seal jars in a simmering hot water bath (jars should be covered with 1 inch of water) for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove and cool. Check jar lid for proper seal. If sealed, set for two to three weeks before eating.
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