Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans)

Ingredients

• glass jars and lids (like Ball jars), thoroughly cleaned and sterilized5 pint
• fresh green beans, ends chopped off2 pounds
• apple cider vinegar1 cup
• warm water2 cups
• maple sugar1 tablespoon
• sea salt1 tablespoon
• fresh dill, optional3 tablespoons

Method

1. First, clean and sterilize the jars. Running them through the dishwasher is the best way. No dishwasher? Then clean with warm, soapy water.
2. Prepare the beans by cutting the ends off and making sure they can fit in the jar. For beans that are too long, cut in half.
3. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, water, maple sugar and salt, whisking until salt is dissolved.
4. Transfer to a pot and bring to a boil.
5. While the liquid mixture is on the stovetop, loosely pack each jar with some of the dill (even distributed between the 5 jars) and the beans.
6. When liquid boils, ladle the pickling liquid into each jar, filling nearly to the top. Allow it to cool to room temperature, around 10 hours.
7. When cooled, seal the jars with lids (and potentially rings). Allow green beans to ferment for 2 to 3 weeks in a cool, dark space before serving.
8. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly and consume within a week.

Swaps & notes

Once you get used to making these pickled green beans, you can start to try different variations of the recipe. Some recipes call for dill seeds; others turn this into a spicy dish by adding red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.