Green beans galore.... Fridge dilly beans

Despite the problems I have been having with the squash and cucumbers (powdery mildew, and blossom rot), the green beans have been a faithful producer.  We have had steamed green beans, green beans cooked in chicken broth, and sautéed green beans, and I just couldn't bring myself to cook any more for a bit.  Unfortunately, they have been piling up in the fridge, and I had about a pound and a half of beans that I had to do SOMETHING with!!!  

I have seen a lot of recipes for Dilly Beans - a spicy, pickled bean that is canned and then put up for storage, but I haven't ventured into canning, although it is on my bucket list of future gardening plans.  Today I got an idea to search for a dilly bean recipe that could be put in the refrigerator, and I found one at: http://cookcancsa.com/2011/05/27/dilly-beans/.

I have been saving pickle jars for a while.  I have a new obsession with zesty pickles that I have found at Dollar Tree - - oh my they are so good, and for $1, you can't beat them.  I had 6 jars saved in my laundry room, so I figured that it was time to get started. 

 First things first, I had to sort and clean the beans, nipping the ends off with my kitchen shears.  I had dill from my herb garden to use, and Portugal Hot peppers from The Guy's garden to use in place of the hot pepper flakes.  I hope I don't come to regret using them, but I can't seem to find a happy use for these particular peppers.  In salsa they just vanish like they aren't even there, they are too skinny to stuff, and when I slice them and put them on pizza they are so hot I can't stand it.  I may end up pickling them for use later in the year when we don't have fresh peppers, but I'll need to get a water bath canner first.  (Might need to speed up that bucket list...) 

The next thing I had to do was boil the jars and the lids for a bit.  (This is all in the recipe I linked to, of course, but since I took pics, I thought I'd share too.)  The jars came out, filled with hot water, and they sat on the towel while the brine cooked. 

After that, I dumped the water out, added the garlic, dill and peppers, filled the jar with the beans, and added the hot brine. 

They are so pretty once they are filled, and these taller jars allowed me to leave some of the beans long.  I did sort them by size and whether they were straight or curved, kind of OCD, I know, but it allowed me to stuff the jars a little easier.  I also made one that didn't have a hot pepper in them, just so The Pipsqueak and The Garden Diva could try them too.



 Aren't they pretty?  I think so.  I can't wait to eat them, but I have to.  The recipe said to wait at least 24 hours, but the longer you wait the better they are.  We're going to Las Vegas this weekend, so I'm going to let them sit at least until we get back. 

Please note:  Without a water bath canner, you cannot shelve these, even if the lids pop down.  You have to keep them in the refrigerator.  They will keep for a few weeks, but I've been advised that they never last that long! 

Green thumb out!