Pickled Green Beans for Dummies

I have to admit, I'm scared to death of canning. Visions of exploding mason jars spraying chunks of rotten canned goods throughout my pantry has kept me from doing what everyone else in the world seems to do without a second thought. I just don't have a lot of faith in the fact that putting jars in a boiling water bath will keep in all the goodness and keep out the bad stuff. So, for the most part, I've steered clear of canning. I did try it a couple of years ago with some batches of marinara sauce, but I was less than impressed that nearly an afternoon's worth of effort only yielded me 4 quarts of sauce. And you know where that marinara is now? Sitting on the shelf in my pantry collecting dust. I'm too afraid to open it.

But when I found this recipe for easy pickled green beans on Allrecipes.com it sounded so simple that I had to put my fears aside and give canning another try. So I dug out my canning jars and canner from their exile to the back shelves of the laundry room and spent about an hour putting up these pickled green beans. Out of the six half pints I canned, only two of them didn't seal properly and they promptly went into the refrigerator where they will remain, tucked behind the jarred salsa until I can pop the lid in about two weeks. The waiting will be torture...

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
• 2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 bunch fresh dill weed
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Sterilize 6 (1/2 pint) jars with rings and lids and keep hot. Trim green beans to 1/4 inch shorter than your jars.
2. In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water and salt. Add garlic and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. In each jar, place 1 sprig of dill and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pack green beans into the jars so they are standing on their ends.
3. Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Discard garlic. Seal jars with lids and rings. Place in a hot water bath so they are covered by 1 inch of water. Simmer but do not boil for 10 minutes to process. Cool to room temperature. Test jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. It should not move. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly. Let pickles ferment for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.