Dilly Beans

Snappy pickled green beans with dill, garlic, and a pinch of heat. The full-strength vinegar brine makes the beans high-acid, so a simple water-bath is all it takes to can a bean glut.

45 min Involved Makes about 4 pint jars.VegetarianVeganGluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

one batch

From the garden

2 lb green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut to fit the jars
4 sprigs fresh dill heads or sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled

From the pantry

1 tsp red pepper flakes
2½ cups distilled white vinegar (5%) — full strength is what makes low-acid beans safe to water-bath — never dilute below this tested ratio
¼ cup canning or pickling salt

Steps

tap a step to dim it as you go

Wash 4 pint jars and keep them hot in the water-bath canner while it heats; wash the lids and bands.
Trim the beans to about ¾ inch shorter than the jars so they'll sit fully below the brine.
Bring the vinegar, 2½ cups water, and the canning salt to a rolling boil.
Into each hot jar put 1 garlic clove, a dill head or sprig, and ¼ teaspoon pepper flakes, then pack the raw beans standing upright, tight enough that they hold each other in place. Pour in boiling brine leaving ½ inch headspace, release air bubbles with a thin spatula, wipe the rims, and screw the bands on fingertip-tight.
Process in boiling water covering the jars by 1 inch for 10 minutes. Altitude adjustment: at 1,001–6,000 ft process 15 minutes; above 6,000 ft, 20 minutes.
Set the jars on a towel and cool undisturbed 12–24 hours; check that the lids don't flex and refrigerate any jar that didn't seal. Wait at least 2 weeks — the beans need that long to turn from vinegary to properly dilly.