Dilly Beans

The closer we come to fall, the more I get the itch to start my canning. I love to make fruit jellies and jams, especially when I can find huckle berries, I think that they are my all time favorite! Anyway, on Saturday I decided that it was time to officially get this thing started. Whew, there all kinds of things happening all over the place and my kitchen was a really huge mess afterward.

When I was a kid, one of the things that was made each year was Dilly Beans, and I remember I just couldn't wait until we could eat some. The only problem with Dilly Beans is that they never lasted as long as we wanted, because everyone else thought they were fantastic too.

At this point, the entire kitchen and the front room, smell really good!
This year, I wanted to experiment a little so I added asparagus in some of the jars.

Dill Beans


Ingredients:
2 lb. fresh breen beans, with the ends snapped off
1 quart apple cider vinegar
2 quarts water
1/2 C kosher or canning salt
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp. alum
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Dried dill


Directions:
Bring all of the above ingredients (with the exception of the beans and the dill) to a boil. While you're waiting for that to happen, using pint jars, first place a couple of sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar, then stand the beans up inside the jars - don't be afraid to pack those beans in there fairly tight because the hot liquid causes a little shrinking. Once you have the dill and the beans in each of the jars, and the liquid mixture has come to a boil, ladle the hot liquid into each jar, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top. Tighten a lid on each jar and place into a water bath for 45 minutes. Allow to sit for 2 weeks before eating, that's when the flavor will be the very best.


Note: Make sure the water in the bath has come to a boil again before beginning the timing.
Makes about 10 pints of beans.