Dilly Beans

I first read about dilly beans in an old Blue Ball canning cookbook. Immediately I thought it was something that both my husband and sister would adore: crispy, salty, vinegary beans spiced with cayenne, garlic and dill. These are actually the very first thing that I ever canned! The beans came from the farmers market, along with the dill. Nervously I boiled my cans, packed the jars, filled with brine, carefully placed the lids on top & set them into the water bath. After 15 minutes of boiling I removed them. The sweet sounds of POPing can lids soon filled the air and the Witch was happy. I did it!! I canned something! But how are they? We'd have to wait 2 long weeks to find out.

When we finally cracked open a jar of dilly beans, the tight seal reassured us that I had done it right. Now as I've said before, I'm not a pickled things fan so I didn't try one, but the husband did. And he loved them, just as I had thought he would. Hooray, canning success!

This year I decided to use cider vinegar instead of traditional white distilled. I got the idea from the pickle recipe I used, a generations old recipe that used cider vinegar. The milder flavor of the cider helped tone down the sharp edge of the bean. I also increased the cayenne pepper this year based on feedback from the family - they like them spicy. And they really like the cider vinegar, as well.


Dilly Beans
makes 1 quart size jar, easily increased based upon number of beans you have
1 quart size mason jar, cleaned and sanitized
enough green and or wax beans to fill the jar, about 1/2 lb
1 T pickling/canning salt
2-4 heads dill
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Brine (makes about 1.5 jars worth):
1 c cider vinegar
4 c water

Clean and sterilize the jar. Pack trimmed beans into the jar with garlic and dill. Pour salt over top.

Bring the vinegar and water to a boil. Once boiling pour into jar, leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Cap with a new sealing lid and a tighten the screw top. Process in a water bath for 10 min (adjusted for altitude 15 min at 6,000 ft). Remove from water bath and allow to cool for 24 hours. Test lid for seal, it shouldn't pop, it should be indented and tight. If its not sealed refrigerate and use with in 2 months.

Allow to cure for a minimum of 2 weeks before enjoying.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
16 servings per jar, amount Per Serving
Calories 7.5
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 437.2 mg
Potassium 48.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.1 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 0.9 g
Protein 0.3 g


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