Ingredients for Pickled Dilly Beans

• 2 pounds green snap or yellow beans
• 2 cups water *
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar (5%)
• 3 tablespoons pickling salt (never use table salt for canning)
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 teaspoons red pepper flakes 

Making Pickled Dilly Beans

Get your boiling water canner ready. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. I recommend washing the jars and rings in the dishwasher, and leaving them till needed. Put the lids in a small pan of water on the stove and bring to a quick boil, and then turn to super low, and just barely let it simmer. (Do this last part, right before you need the lids)

Snap or trim the end of the beans. Then cut the beans into 1-2 inch lengths. Or measure the jar ** and cut the beans 3/4 of an inch shorter than the jar.

Next "pack" the beans in the clean hot sterilized pint jars as you like. Not stuffing, just load them. Make sure you leave 3/4 inch from the top of the jar free. Make sure you put 1 sprig of fresh dill, 1 garlic clove, and teaspoons red pepper flakes in each jar.

Combine the water, vinegar and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Using a canning jar funnel, ladle the boiling vinegar mixture of the green beans in the jars. Make sure you always wipe your jar rims and put the hot clean lid on and screw the ring in place snuggly. Process your Dilly Beans pint jars in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude.

Notes for Pickled Dilly Beans:

* use bottled water, never use tap water in canning

** you can use a regular  pint for 1-2 inch bean lengths, but use wide mouth pints if you are trying for presentation. Lay the jar on its side and stack the long beans inside to make them look all pretty.