Making Homemade Pickled Dilled Green Beans
Making and canning your own pickled dilled green beans is one of the easiest things you can do with your green beans to preserve it for later use! Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated. This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It yields 8 to 9 pints.
Ingredients and Equipment
|
|
Process - How to Make Pickled Green Beans
Step 1 - Selecting the green beans
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better
quality green beans!
At left is a of picture green beans from my garden - it is SO easy to grow.
Step 2 - How many
green beans?
It takes about 1/2 lb of green beans to fill a pint jar.
Step 3 -Wash and cut the green beans!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water.
You will need to cut the ends off (about 1/4 inch).
Step 4 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars.
I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the
time I'm ready to fill the jars. Be sure to let it go through the rinse
cycle to get rid of any soap! It's also a good time to start heating
up the water in the canner and the small pan of water to boil the lids.
Lids: put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least
several minutes. Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath
(step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage
later!)
Need lids, rings and replacement jars?
Get them all here, delivered direct to your home, at the best prices on the internet!
Step 5 - Fill the jars with green beans
Fill jars firmly with whole green beans, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Step 6 - Trim the ends
Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 of an i
nch, or
half the width of an average woman's little finger). Then cut them
into pieces of the size you prefer, usually about 1 inch long.
Of course, if your prefer French cut green beans, you can cut the beans lengthwise instead, or you can use a "bean Frencher" (No, that does not make the beans smelly, hairy or surrender quickly, it's just the name.. ). The "Frencher" enables you to prepare a huge quantity of beans quickly!
See the bottom of this page for makes, models, prices and ordering info for bean frenchers.
Step
Step 7 - Packing the beans, dill (and if desired, garlic) in the canning jars
Put 1 or 2 dill heads in the bottom of each jar, 1 garlic clove (optional) and then the beans (placed upright in the jars, like pickle spears). This is called "raw packing" because we don't cook the beans before packing them into the jars. Pack the jars fairly tightly, but be sure to leave 1/2 inch of space at the TOP of the jar. That is called "headspace" and is needed for expansion during heading.
Step 8 - Heat the vinegar, salt (and if desired pepper flakes) in a pot
In a pot heat the 4 cups of 5% white or cider vinegar, 4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of canning salt (or pickling salt) and, if desired to make a medium hot pickled bean, include 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Heat to a boil.
Step 9 - Pour the boiling vinegar solution into each packed jar
Use a ladle or pyrex measuring cup to carefully fill each packed jar with water from pot of boiling water. Fill to within 1 inch of the top. The beans should be covered and there should still be 1/2 inch of airspace left in the top of each jar. Be careful not to burn yourself, (or anyone else - children should be kept back during this step!)
Step 10 - Put the lids and rings on
Put the lids on each jar and seal them by putting a ring on and screwing it down snugly (but not with all you might, just "snug").
Step 11 - Put the jars in the canner
Using
the jar tongs, put the pint jars
in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep
the water
boiling. Boil them for 5 minutes.
Remember to adjust for altitudes and
larger jars - see the table below!
|
Processing time for Pickled Dilled Green Beans in a boiling-water canner. |
||
| Process Time at Altitudes of | ||
| 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| 5 minutes | 10 minutes | 15 minutes |
Step 12 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can
then remove the rings if you like.
When can you start eating the green beans? Well, it takes some time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles. Generally, that's about 2 or 3 days! Ah... the wait...
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
to pick up hot jars - Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the pot
of boiling water (sterilizing ) - Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once - Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need them - Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
 |
Home Canning KitsThis is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother
used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need and
lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs,
lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel,
labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars and lids (and the jars are reusable). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! |
Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Pickled Green Beans - makes 8 pint jars, 16 oz each* |
||||
| Item | Quantity | Cost in 2004 | Source | Subtotal |
| Green beans | 4 lbs | free from the garden, or $3.00 cents at a PYO | Pick your own | $3.00 |
| Canning jars (pint size, wide mouth), includes lids and rings | 12 jars | $8.00/dozen | WalMart, BigLots, Publix, Kroger |
$8.00 |
| Vinegar | 4 cups | $0.99 | WalMart, Publix, Kroger |
$0.99 |
| Pickle mix | 1 packet | $3.00 per package | WalMart, BigLots, Publix, Kroger |
$3.00 |
| Total | $15.00 total or about $1.08 per jar INCLUDING the jars - which you can reuse! |
|||
|
* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! Many products are sold in jars that will take the lids and rings for canning. For example, Classico Spaghetti sauce is in quart sized jars that work with Ball and Kerr lids and rings. Note that the Classico's manufacturer does not recommend reuse of their jars: see what they have to say on this page: |
||||
How to make other pickles - recipes and instructions:
Canning processing times
|
Type of pickling method |
Jar size | 0 to 1,000 ft above sea level | 1,001 to 6,000 ft above sea level |
| Quick process, (raw green beans put in the jar, hot liquid poured over them)- | pint | 10 min | 15 min |
| Quick process, (raw green beans put in the jar, hot liquid poured over them)- | quart | 10 min | 15 min |
Can't find the equipment? We ship to all 50 states! Use our Feedback form!
Answers to Common Questions
What did I do wrong if my
pickles aren't crisp or crunchy?
You probably used overripe cucumbers or didn't measure the vinegar and water
accurately. Of course, processin gtoo long in the boiling water bath can do it,
too!
Why are my pickles cloudy?
There are a variety of possible causes for cloudy pickles:
In nonfermented pickles (fresh pack), cloudiness might indicate spoilage. Yeast growth may also make pickles cloudy or slimy. Check the pickles for signs of off-odors and mushiness of the pickles. If yeast growth is evident, discard the pickles. If these signs are absent, the pickles are (absent other problems) safe to eat.
Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy. This is the most common cause of cloudy pickles. There is no danger to these pickles, though!
Sometimes the fillers (anticaking agents) in regular table salt may cause slight cloudiness, so always use pickling salt. Obviously, if you used a packet mix (like Mrs. Wages) this should not be a problem.
Hard water might also cause cloudiness. If soft water is not available, boil the hard water and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Pour off the top portion and use it in the pickling solution.
