Canned Dilled Beans

pickles

Canned Dilled Beans

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Your Key Ingredient:

NESCO Smart Canner

Grocery Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds green, yellow, or purple string beans, ends trimmed, cut to fit jar with 1/2 inch headspace
  • 6 fresh dill heads (or dill sprigs)
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled (optional)
  • 0.3 cups canning or pickling salt (not kosher salt)
  • 2 cups white distilled vinegar, 5% acidity
  • 2 cups water
  • 0.5 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

  1. Prep the beans: Rinse beans under cool running water and drain well. Trim the stem ends. Cut or leave beans long enough to stand upright in pint jars with 1/2 inch headspace at the top – trim to fit as needed.
  2. Add aromatics to jars: Into each sterile pint jar, place 1-2 dill heads and, if using, 1 garlic clove per jar (from the 6 fresh dill heads (or dill sprigs) dill and 4 garlic cloves, peeled (optional) garlic). If using pepper flakes or mustard seed, divide the 0.5 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes (optional) pepper flakes and 0.5 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds (optional flavor add – not part of the tested recipe, but doesn’t affect the brine ratio) mustard seed among the jars now.
  3. Pack beans into jars: Pack the 2 pounds green, yellow, or purple string beans, ends trimmed, cut to fit jar with 1/2 inch headspace beans into the jars standing upright, as tightly as possible without crushing them, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
  4. Make the brine: Combine the 0.3 cups canning or pickling salt (not kosher salt) salt, 2 cups white distilled vinegar, 5% acidity vinegar, and 2 cups water water in a saucepan (using the ‘Brown’ function if working in the canner). Bring to a boil.
  5. Fill and seal jars: Pour the hot brine over the beans in each jar, leaving exactly 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a non-metal spatula, then wipe jar rims clean and apply lids to fingertip-tight.
  6. Water bath process: Load the pint jars into the canner. Add water per your canner’s guide and run the ‘Water Bath’ setting. Process 5 minutes at 0-1,000 ft elevation, 10 minutes at 1,001-6,000 ft, or 15 minutes above 6,000 ft.
  7. Cool and check seals: Remove jars and let cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check that lids have sealed (center doesn’t flex when pressed) before storing. Refrigerate any unsealed jars. For best flavor, let sealed jars sit at least a week before eating.

Use PINT jars only – this is the only jar size NCHFP tested for this recipe; quart jars aren’t a safe substitution here.

Recipe courtesy of NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) Dilled Beans guidelines