Making Homemade Pickled Dilled Green Beans

Making and canning your own pickled dilled green beans is one of the easiest things you can do with your green beans to preserve it for later use!  Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated.   This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this!  It yields 8 to 9 pints.

Ingredients and Equipment

Process - How to Make Pickled Green Beans

Step 1 - Selecting the green beans

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality green beans!  

At left is a of picture green beans from my garden - it is SO easy to grow.

Step 2 - How many green beans?

It takes about 1/2 lb of green beans to fill a pint jar. 

Step 3 -Wash and cut the green beans!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water.

You will need to cut the ends off (about 1/4 inch).

Step 4 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing

The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle.  I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!  It's also a good time to start heating up the water in the canner and the small pan of water to boil the lids.

Lids:  put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes. Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)

Need lids, rings and replacement jars? 

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Step 5 - Fill the jars with green beans

Fill jars firmly with whole green beans, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Step 6 - Trim the ends

Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 of an inch, or half the width of an average woman's little finger).  Then cut them into pieces of the size you prefer, usually about 1 inch long.

Of course, if your prefer French cut green beans, you can cut the beans lengthwise instead, or you can use a "bean Frencher" (No, that does not make the beans want to wear a beret, "mime" or surrender quickly, it's just the name.. ).  The "Frencher" enables you to prepare a huge quantity of beans quickly!

See the bottom of this page for makes, models, prices and ordering info for bean frenchers.

Step Step 7 - Packing the beans, dill (and if desired, garlic) in the canning jars

Put 1 or 2 dill heads in the bottom of each jar, 1 garlic clove (optional) and then the beans (placed upright in the jars, like pickle spears).  If you are using whole small hot peppers, you will add one each jar now.
This is called "raw packing" because we don't cook the beans before packing them into the jars. Pack the jars fairly tightly, but be sure to leave 1/2 inch of space at the TOP of the jar.  That is called "headspace" and is needed for expansion during heading.

Step 8 - Heat the vinegar, salt (and if desired pepper flakes) in a pot

In a pot heat the 4 cups of 5% white or cider vinegar, 4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of canning salt (or pickling salt) and, if desired to make a medium hot pickled bean, include 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if you want them, and didn't use the small whole hot peppers). Heat to a boil.

Step 9 - Pour the boiling vinegar solution into each packed jar

Use a ladle or pyrex measuring cup to carefully fill each packed jar with water from pot of boiling water. Fill to within 1 inch of the top.  The beans should be covered and there should still be 1/2 inch of airspace left in the top of each jar. Be careful not to burn yourself, (or anyone else - children should be kept back during this step!)

Step 10 - Put the lids and rings on

Put the lids on each jar and seal them by putting a ring on and screwing it down snugly (but not with all your might, just "snug").

Step 11 - Put the jars in the canner

Using the jar tongs, put the pint jars in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Boil them for 5 minutes.  Remember to adjust for altitudes and larger jars - see the table below! 

Step 12 - Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, the that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

When can you start eating the green beans?  Well, it takes some time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles.  Generally, that's about 2 or 3 days!  Ah... the wait...

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

1. Jar lifting tongs 
           to pick up hot jars
2. Lid lifter 
           - to remove lids from the pot 
           of boiling water (sterilizing )
3. Lid 
          - disposable - you may only 
          use them once
4. Ring 
         - holds the lids on the jar until after
         the jars cool - then you don't need them
5. Canning jar funnel
         - to fill the jars

Home Canning Kits This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars and lids (and the jars are reusable). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! Click here for a larger photo, more information, pricing, ordering, etc. Average Customer Review: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

How to make other pickles -  recipes and instructions:

• Cucumber pickles (quick process, canned)

• Refrigerator pickles (no canning required)

• Cucumber pickle relish

• Pickled beets

• Pickled dilled okra

Canning processing times

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Answers to Common Questions

What did I do wrong if my pickles aren't crisp or crunchy?
You probably used overripe cucumbers or didn't measure the vinegar and water accurately. Of course, processin gtoo long in the boiling water bath can do it, too!

Why are my pickles cloudy?

There are a variety of possible causes for cloudy pickles:

In nonfermented pickles (fresh pack), cloudiness might indicate spoilage. Yeast growth may also make pickles cloudy or slimy. Check the pickles for signs of off-odors and mushiness of the pickles. If yeast growth is evident, discard the pickles. If these signs are absent, the pickles are (absent other problems) safe to eat.

Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy. This is the most common cause of cloudy pickles. There is no danger to these pickles, though!

Sometimes the fillers (anticaking agents) in regular table salt may cause slight cloudiness, so always use pickling salt. Obviously, if you used a packet mix (like Mrs. Wages) this should not be a problem.

Hard water might also cause cloudiness. If soft water is not available, boil the hard water and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Pour off the top portion and use it in the pickling solution.

Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!

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