Spicy Pickled Green Beans

I’m a huge fan of Tillen Farms/Hogue Cellars spicy green beans.  A great addition to any buffet, a healthy alternative to chips and a piquant treat anytime.  I’d buy them every week except I can eat an entire jar as an afternoon snack and they cost $7 buck a pop.  Not one to let a little thing like a budget stand between me and my taste buds, I’ve been experimenting with recipes. This one is a winner.

For the record. Its really hard to make green beans look pretty.  I tried photographing them in a bowl, fanned across a plate and on a fork but frankly they’re just not sexy.  So forgive the boring photo and trust me on this…you want to make these.  And they are surprisingly easy even for a first time canner like me.

 

Spicy Green Beans

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

makes 6-12 ounce jars

3 pounds green beans

12 sprigs of dill

12 sprigs of tarragon

48 black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 cloves peeled garlic

1 quart white vinegar

1 quart water

2 1/2 tablespoons salt

 

If you’re new to canning spend a few minutes reading this step by step to canning from Ball, makers of canning jars.

Wash jars.  Place 2 dill sprigs, 2 tarragon sprigs, 1 garlic clove, 8 peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in each jar.  Fill with beans that have been washed and trimmed to the height of your jars less 1/2 inch.  Select straight and blemish free beans; (you’ll have lots left over so you can be choosy).

The easiest way to do this is to trim beans on one end then sort for blemishes and uniformity.  Gather in one hand and tap on the counter so the longest ones stick up, then lay on a cutting board and cut across all the tops, to the proper length, at once.  Gather again, eyeballing the jar for size then press the entire unit into the glass.

Boil vinegar, water and salt then ladle into jars making sure to cover all the beans and leave 1/4 inch air space.

Process in a water bath at 180 degrees (simmer do not boil) for 15 minutes. You want your beans to be snappy so temp and time are important. Let cool for five minutes then remove to counter.

Store for 6-8 weeks then mix a batch of Bloody Mary's and use these as a garnish.  They’d be great at a holiday buffet or as a very special  hostess gift…if they last that long. Or just eat them as an afternoon snack because they’re so good.