By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- These will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator.
- Rating
- 4(211)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In the South these are sometimes called “dilly beans” because of the dill that goes into the jars with the beans. My only reservation about making pickles out of green beans is that it is impossible for the beans to retain their wonderful green color. But I forget about this regret when I taste them, redolent as they are with coriander seeds and dill. You can serve them as an aperitif, garnish or side, or cut them up and add them to salads.
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Ingredients
Yield:1 pint
- 6 to 7ounces green beans
- 1teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3sprigs fresh dill
- 1bay leaf
- ½cup white wine vinegar
- ½cup sherry vinegar
- ½cup water
- 1tablespoon raw brown (turbinado) sugar
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1large garlic clove, quartered
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
88 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 656 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
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 ½ 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.
Step
2
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.
Step
3
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 ¼ to ½ 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.
Ratings
4
out of 5
211
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Cooking Notes
Kate
I leave the sugar out of pickling recipes entirely, especially dilly beans. It's better without!
Ednaalice
What can I sub for the sugar? My husband and I are both diabetic and cannot eat sugar.
mjjsnell
I always just toss everything into the oven at its lowest setting after a quick wash and rinse. Twenty minutes at that temp should kill any bad bacteria. No special equipment. Minimal fuss. Likewise muss...
Clare
Has anyone made this without the sugar? I would think the sherry vinegar would be sweet enough.
Grandmadoc
Have made these so many times, would think I would remember the processing time. Had to look it up. It’s 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. But need to adjust for altitude. I rely on county extension services for information like this.
Recipe not useful
A pint jar is ridiculous size to use for green beans unless you want to chop them into small pieces. Also, put them in the fridge means no need to Sanitize. Just hot soapy water, rinse and dry.
Jed
Way, way too sweet, even with less sugar. And the vinegar flavors were just off. I won't make again.
Kriste
These were perfect! I had a fall crop of green beans that were sweet, tender, and so flavorful. The pickling recipe worked perfectly. The only problem was I only made one pint. I need many more, for home and for gifts. The quality of the beans makes all the difference but the brine was perfect too! Next year I plan to make several jars ( because unfortunately the first freeze took the beans for this year).
katherine
Do you have to do anything special to seal the jar? Or is it literally just screwing a sanitized lid onto the sanitized jar?
JB
This will give good, safe instructions. Different foods have different canning times. Follow the instructions exactly. This is very important.
Martie
This recipe makes one single pint jar of dilly beans. I haven't made this yet, but processing one pint in a water bath canner is a little silly. If I make this recipe just to try it, I will probably keep the band and lid hot with the water I used to sterilize the jar. Sometimes a jar will seal on its own without processing, but of course, you will have to refrigerate it. Refrigerator pickles can last in a fridge for over a year, and taste great.
Kathy
These are refrigerator pickles. No processing required. They keep for 2 months under refrigeration.
Grandmadoc
Have made these so many times, would think I would remember the processing time. Had to look it up. It’s 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. But need to adjust for altitude. I rely on county extension services for information like this.
Maggie
Is it absolutely necessary to sterilize the jar first given this is a refrigerator pickle recipe (i.e. not sealed and pasteurized at the end)? What are the consequences if I skip this step?
Amy
What did you find out about this?
mjjsnell
I always just toss everything into the oven at its lowest setting after a quick wash and rinse. Twenty minutes at that temp should kill any bad bacteria. No special equipment. Minimal fuss. Likewise muss...
Susan Schudie
Love these! Used red wine vinegar, because that's what I had and turned out great.
Michael Kelly
It would be so nice to have this recipe processed in a boiling water bath so it could be shelf stable. Is there a version for that?
Betsy
It's from a collection on how to pickle without canning. But there are tons of dilly bean recipes out there on the internet with the canning instructions.
Johanna Kramer
I think you could probably can this in a water bath for 10-15.
Ednaalice
What can I sub for the sugar? My husband and I are both diabetic and cannot eat sugar.
kestrel sparhawk
Well-stocked groceries now sell stevia, which is intensely sweet but doesn't trigger glucose intolerance as sugar does. It's slightly herbal-flavored compared to sugar in its natural form, but the flavor should do well with herbed beans if you'd like to experiment.
Kristen Acosta
You don't need to substitute the sugar. I'm a Type 1 Diabetic and I eat these all the time without it affecting my blood sugar. Just don't drink the juice =) I hope this helps.
Kate
I leave the sugar out of pickling recipes entirely, especially dilly beans. It's better without!
Clare
Has anyone made this without the sugar? I would think the sherry vinegar would be sweet enough.
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