My sister went with Ronda to her parent's house to make dilly beans a few weeks ago and she brought home a couple jars - and they are so so delicious we wanted to make more on our own...but do you think we could find a time to get together and make them? So I woke up this morning and decided to attempt it on my own! I don't have Ronda's family recipe but I googled and got tons of ideas, I went with this one but changed it a bit - I'll give you the original recipe and then my notes below.
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup salt
1/2 pound garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill weed
1 pound small spicy red peppers
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Sterilize 6 half-pint jars with rings and lids and keep hot. Cut string beans to 1/4 inch shorter than your jars.
In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. In each jar, place 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig of dill, 2 red peppers, and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pack string beans into the jars so the are standing on their ends.
Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Wipe top rim of the jar so no moisture gets captured under the lid. Seal the jars with lids and rings. Place in a hot water bath so the jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Simmer but do not boil (approximately 180 degrees) for 10 minutes to process. Remove from the pot. Cool to room temperature. Tests jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. It should not move. When jars are cooled you should hear a "pop" to signal the lids are sealed. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly. Let pickles ferment for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.
notes:
*I bought a 2 pound bag of beans and made the brine according to the directions and didn't have enough so had to make more. Because the original brine cooled down while making the additional, I dumped what liquid I had poured over the beans in the jars back into the pan so it would all be hot at the same time.
*I couldn't find small spicy red peppers so omitted them.
*I put 2 garlic cloves in each jar, along with the fresh dill, a pinch of mustard seeds, and the red pepper flakes. I read somewhere to lay the jars on their sides and lay the dill along one side before adding the beans - it looks pretty in the jar that way instead of laying at the bottom.
*I got 3 (12 ounce) jars and 3 (8 ounce) jars from 2 pounds of beans.
original recipe from 'The Book of Doing' by Allison Arden
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