It’s probably a fair question to ask why one would want to pickle green beans. But, for me, there are two pretty good reasons. First, if you have a garden, you’ll know that unless you have a very large family or you’re truly crazy about the vegetable, the few frail little seedlings you plant in May will produce more green beans in July than you could ever want to serve as a side dish. (Our scrappy little vines in Southampton seem to generate a new crop almost overnight.) Second, and more importantly, these tart and crunchy pickles are amazing in a Bloody Mary.
Another reason to pickle green beans is that it’s dead easy — there’s no need to sanitize or seal containers, and there’s no cooking involved at all. All you have to do it put a few common, inexpensive ingredients in a jar with your beans, shake it all up and leave it in the fridge for three days or so. Then, tuck three or four into a Bloody Mary and enjoy. And, when it’s not time for a cocktail, pickled green beans are a delicious an unexpected sidekick to almost any sandwich. (I particularly like them with grilled cheese.)
Recipe
(adapted from Karen Solomon, whose instructional and entertaining video on pickling beans can be seen here.)
Ingredients
Fresh green beans, enough to fit snugly into your pickling jar, washed and stemmed
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper (optional)
1-2 tablespoons dill seed
1 cup distilled vinegar
Equipment
1 large mason jar
Instructions
1. Place all of the dry ingredients in the jar.
2. One by one, lay the green beans in the jar, fitting in as many as you can without forcing and bruising them.
3. Add the vinegar and then fill the jar to rim with tap water.
4. Close the jar and shake well to dissolve the salt and distribute the herbs and spices.
5. Cure in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before eating.
The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
