Pickled Green Beans

Adapted from Martha Rose Schuman, NY Times Cooking

Ingredients for each 1-Pint Jar of Pickles:

  • 6 to 7 ounces green beans
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 3 sprigs fresh dill
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • ½ cup sherry vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • (Optional) 1 tablespoon raw brown (turbinado) sugar or Maple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large garlic clove, quartered

 

Preparation:

Sterilize a one-pint, wide mouthed canning jar by boiling in water for 5 minutes. Remove from water with tongs or jar grip and cool on clean towel.

Rinse green beans and break off stem ends. Put them into a pint jar, standing them up and squeezing as many into the jar as you can. There should be 1/2 inch of head space in the jar, so you may have to trim down some of the beans. Once you’ve cut them down to fit, take them out of the jar and sterilize the jar in a boiling water bath for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a jar grip, carefully remove the jar from the water and tip out all water.

Place coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf in jar and fill with beans, standing them up in the jar. Push dill sprigs down into the jar.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegars, water, sugar, salt and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer 2 minutes. Pour into jar with green beans. The beans should be covered but there should still be 1/4 to 1/2 inch head space. Push garlic down into the jar. Seal jar and allow to cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 months.

For best results wait 2 days before eating.