Simple Dilly Beans

I love Dilly Beans. Unfortunately, I forget to make them until I’m craving them, and I refuse to pay $5 for a tiny jar with about 50 cents worth of ingredients. And a bunch of chemicals I don’t want in there. So I (finally) remembered to buy some green beans (and fresh dill) at the farmstand down the road, and I made a few jars of Simple Dilly Beans.  It took longer to drive to the farmstand than it did to make these.

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Simple Dilly Beans

  • 1-1/2 lb. green beans, about 5” long with the stem end trimmed
  • 9 springs of fresh dill
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 3 Tbsp dill seed
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 2 cups water

1. Blanch the green beans: In large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add beans and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until they’re a bright green color BUT STILL VERY CRISP. Drain and plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the vinegar and water to a boil. While that’s working, pack the green beans and dill springs into 3 one-pint canning jars. Top with the garlic, dill seed, salt, and pepper flakes (1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, so it’s easy to evenly divide the salt and pepper flakes).

3. When water/vinegar is boiling, quickly pour it over the green beans in the jars, to within a half-inch of the top. Make sure the liquid covers all of the beans. Put the lids on and shake the jars until the salt dissolves and everything looks evenly dispersed. Let stand at room temperature for a day, then refrigerate for at least three days before eating. They’ll keep in the frig for up to a month.

Click here for the printable recipe

If you’d like to water-bath can these and keep them in your pantry instead of the frig, you can see how to do that here. If you’re an old hand with canning, the processing time is 10 minutes on these.

I love these with a grilled cheese, just to snack on, and, a recent discovery, in lieu of olives in a dirty martini.  And it gives me a little thrill to open the refrigerator door and see Mason jars being used for their original purpose!

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About Megan

My various hats: mom to three crazy teens and one quirky dog, wife of 27 years to my retired GI Joe, and high school math teacher. After my husband's retirement from the Army, we've settled in the Pacific Northwest. Crafting, cooking, photography, and reading keep me sane (that's a relative term!) and I hope you'll enjoy following along as I navigate the chaos of life!
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