Saw a great batch of green beans in the farmers market the other day that I couldn’t resist.  We had some for dinner, put some in a Salade Niçoise, and still had enough to pickle a couple of jars.  I hadn’t made pickled green beans for years but it is a simple recipe to execute and since I only put together a couple of jars I didn’t have to really worry about proper canning – I will just store them in the fridge as we will use them up quickly as a snack or side at dinner.  You can use this same recipe to pickle carrots or other vegetables, also.  It should yield about three 4-ounce jars.

2 pounds very fresh green beans (preferably organic) or

haricots vert, stem end  removed, well-washed

 1 cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

 ¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes or to taste

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

6 whole peeled garlic cloves

3 sprigs fresh dill

             Place the beans in a large pot of cold salted water.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 4 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Immediately remove from the heat, drain well, and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.

When cool, remove from the ice water and pat very dry.  Set aside.

Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, chile flakes, and salt in a medium non-reactive pan over high heat.  Bring to a boil; then, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped dill.

Fit the beans into the jars, vertically.  Add 2 garlic cloves and 1 sprig of dill to each jar.  Then, pour the hot vinegar solution into each jar, covering the beans completely while leaving about a ¼ inch of headroom.  If you do not plan long storage, the beans may be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to a month or so.

If longer storage is desired, place the jars in a large pot or canner with a rack placed in the bottom.  Cover with cold water by at least 2 inches and place over high heat.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Boil, covered, for 10 minutes.

Using tongs, remove the jars from the canner and set aside on a wire rack to cool before storing.  May be stored for up to 1 year, but are best served within 6 months.