Dilly Beans!
Dilly Beans!
Here's another canning post – but with beans this time.
Dilly Beans are a nice, fresh-tasting snack, and are also good for salad/veggie platters, charcuterie boards, and things like that.
I have made Dilly Beans before, but with the usual green beans. But we were not growing green beans in the Grow City Teaching Garden this year – we were growing purple ones and striped ones!
Let's go to the Garden …
Here are the Purple-podded pole beans, which we have grown in Grow City from the first gardening year (2019) and ever since. They are perfect! The plants grow and vine well and are very productive. The beans themselves are very good size and shape, overall, and very tender and delicious. We leave some especially nice ones hanging every year to mature and dry and save the seeds to plant the next year.
They are also “magic beans” - when you cook them, they turn green!
I wondered if they would still turn green when used in this recipe, or if the pickling would keep the color intact. We shall see!
The other bean we've been growing is Dragon Tongue bush bean, so named for the fire-y stripes on the pods. These did not do as well in the Grow City garden – not sure why. We'll experiment with a different kind of bush bean next time and then use new seed the next time we decide to grow Dragon Tongue, which is a really pretty bean. I also wondered if the stripes would remain or disappear during the pickling/canning process.
For this recipe, we need the beans, dill, and garlic. All of these came from the Grow City garden (the garlic was harvested mid-summer).
Here I've assembled all of the ingredients except the beans. The red pepper flakes are from a years-ago home garden. We had dried the hot red peppers (probably hung them to dry) and then put the dried peppers through a food processor (note: be careful when you take the lid off the processor – the fumes can be strong!)
I used the USDA Canning book.
On to the recipe!!
I used large-mouth pint canning jars. To learn the method of getting jars and lids ready for canning, see the previous blog post (“Sweet Pickle Spears”) or refer to canning instructions in a current canning/food preservation book, such as the Ball Blue Book or the USDA canning book.
I used the large (for large-mouth jars) lids from the Tattler company this time. These are good reusable lids and I really like them. They last a long time, so there's not the greater amount of waste you have with single-use lids. These have two parts – the hard plastic lids and the rubber rings that go beneath them. They are used with the same kind of metal bands that you use with single-use lids.
Now it's time to prepare the garden ingredients. First, I weighed out four pounds of fresh beans (as per instructions), then I washed and drained them.
Then I trimmed off the ends of the beans and cut them to size.
Notice the "seam" on one of the beans - the green inside is exposed, showing that the purple is only a thin outside layer.
I also separated the cloves of garlic from the bulbs, removed the skins, and set aside eight cloves.
I put all of the pickling ingredients in a large pot (pickling salt, vinegar, water, pepper flakes) and started heating it up, to eventually come to a boil.
While that was heating, I emptied the very hot water from the jars (for sterilizing) and put heads of dill and one garlic clove in the bottom of each jar. Then I put beans in the jars. It's nice to arrange them all upright, at least around the perimeter. I didn't have near as many Dragon Tongue beans, and many of those were shorter, so I thought I'd put a Dragon Tongue in now and then, spaced between more Purple-podded beans, for a striped look.
I had a bunch of smaller pieces of beans left, so I piled them into the last jar with some dill and garlic. Waste not, want not!!
Either way, leave about 1/2” head space over the beans so they won't disrupt the sealing of the lids.
Using my canning funnel and a ladle, I added the very hot pickling solution to each jar, again leaving ½” head space.
Using a thin tool (I use a small, very narrow rubber spatula), insert along the edges of the jars to release any air bubbles. You may need to add a bit more pickling liquid after doing this. Then be sure to use a clean, damp cloth to wipe the jar lids clean before putting on lids.
The method for putting on the reusable Tattler lids is different from doing the single-use ones. Put the rubber ring in the space around the perimeter of the bottom of the plastic lid, then carefully place this on the jar so that everything fits evenly. Screw on the band tightly. Here's something else different – after screwing on the lid – loosen it about a quarter turn! I advise reviewing the instructions that come with the Tattler lids, or on their web site.
Since these are pickles, I can use the boiling-water canner rather than a pressure-canner.
Here I have put the finished jars into the rack and lowered them into the canner full of very hot water (I used my method earlier to determine how much water was going to be displaced, greatly reducing the possibility of an accident).
I made sure the water in the canner was boiling, then covered the canner and started the timer. These only need to stay in for five minutes!
After five minutes I let the water simmer down a little, then used my jar-grabber to carefully lift each jar from the canner, setting it on the awaiting towel.
And here's another thing to do differently with the Tattler reusable lids: after removing the jars from the canner, while still piping hot (you will need to use a hot pad or rubber gloves), tighten the bands. This must be done while there is still the pressure of the heat in the jar.
And there you have it! Leave them to cool completely, then remove the metal bands. Test the lids to be sure they sealed and do not pop off (they don't “ping” when sealing like single-use lids). Wash and label your jars, arrange them on your shelf, step back to admire, and share pictures. :)
Well, did the beans lose their color?
Pretty much. The Purple-podded are certainly no longer deep purple, but they did maintain some dull color and did not turn green the way they would if I had boiled or steamed them. In fact, the liquid in the jars is a little purple! And the Dragon Tongues lost their stripes. No matter - it's been an interesting experiment, and I'll see how they taste after they've been in the jars for some weeks.
*******
Plant beans in your garden!!! Pole beans, bush beans, runner beans, half-runner beans – there are so many different varieties among them, so many different colors, designs, textures, lengths, etc. Explore seed catalogs or visit your local seed library or seed swap – and experiment! See which kinds work best in your area, and which kinds you like best to eat.
Be sure to grow some dill, too! It has so many uses. And if you let it go to seed, you'll have volunteer dill later in the season or next year.
And be sure to grow garlic! It's fun, and a whole different learning experience. But when you grow your own you can try out so many more different kinds, instead of being limited to what's in the grocery, which is usually insipid.
Have fun! Happy Gardening, Happy Pickling, Happy Eating!
*****
Here are instructions for using Tattler reusable lids:
Canning With Tattler Lids : 5 Steps - Instructables
Comments
Post a Comment