When life gives you beans, you should probably just pickle them. Not only because it’s easy to do, but because they’re delicious, they’re way over-priced in the grocery store, and more importantly they are essential to any good Caesar.
To be honest, I’m still a little too afraid of botulism to do proper canning without supervision, so this round of pickled beans is going straight into the fridge. They should last there about 4-6 months, which is more than enough time since pickled beans are popular around my house.
I remember when I was little, my sister and I would eagerly await bean season because my mother always had an overabundance in her garden, which would eventually translate into many jars of salty dilly beans. Oh boy, did we love those beans, but what my sister and I really looked forward to was the piece or two of garlic in the bottom of the jar. You see, each jar has two or maybe even three cloves of garlic tucked in amongt the beans and if you managed to score one it was like winning the lottery.
Pickled Dill Beans
Brine: 2 c water
1 c white vinegar
1/8 c pickling salt (do not substitute)
(to make 5 1-litre or 10 500-ml jars make brine x4=8 c water; 4c vinegar; 1/2c salt)
Sterilize jars and when preparing brine, sterilize jar lids.
Wash and cut beans at both ends.
Boil a big pot of water and cook bean in boiling water 8 minutes.
Drain and put in jars with a piece of garlic and fresh dill on bottom and top.
Boil brine for 5 min and pour over beans. Seal immediately.