Crunchy Dilly Green Beans, as we call them are a delightful and healthy treat.
After leaving the farmers market with an overwhelming amount of green beans, or after collecting a large crop, ferment them!
Crunchy dilly green beans taste similar to a dill pickle. How fun is that!
These fermented green beans are super easy to make and a great complement to any meal. Not to mention that adding a fermented food during meal time will help break down your meal during digestion. Which means the nutrients already found in the food you eat will be more bio-available.
How to Pickle (Ferment) Green Beans
To get started you will need some fresh green beans, fresh dill, garlic, Celtic sea salt, filtered water and optional red pepper flakes.
Wash and trim green beans as necessary
Next place fresh dill, garlic and optional red pepper flakes in the bottom of the jar. Tilt jar and fill up with green beans. Pack them tight so that they will stay below the brine. A standard brine solution is 1 to 2 tablespoons of Celtic sea salt to 1 quart filtered water. Dissolve the salt by mixing until gone. Pour salt brine over green beans to the bottom lip of the bottle. Leave one-inch space from the top. Make sure vegetables are not sticking out past the brine. Cap and leave on counter for at least one week.
At first, the green beans are bright green in your mason jar. During the fermentation process, they will change color to a more olive green. The water may appear cloudy, this is normal.
You can see the color change. You may even see some bubbles. After a week or two, you can move your jar to cool storage, like the basement. Once you open the jar and begin consuming them, store the green beans in the refrigerator.
Crunchy Dilly Green Beans Recipe
- Bunch of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic whole or sliced in half
- Fresh dill preferred, dried can be used
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- Celtic sea salt
- Filtered, spring water
- Quart size mason jar with lid
First place fresh dill, garlic and optional red pepper flakes in the bottom of the jar. Next, tilt the jar and tightly pack in the green beans. In a separate container mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of Celtic sea salt to 1 quart of water, mix until dissolved. Usually, I prefer 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water. Pour salt water brine over green beans to the bottom lip of the jar where the lid goes. Make sure green beans are not above brine and the brine 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cap with canning lid and ring.
Using a sharpie, label jar with ingredients and date made. Leave on the counter out of direct sun light for at least 1 week. After 1 to 2 weeks you can start to enjoy your cultured green bean or move them to a cool location. The basement is perfect for storage. Once you start to consume them, store container in the refrigerator.
When the delicious green beans are all gone, you can drink the brine which is very hydrating. In addition to could add the brine to make a salad dressing, use as the marinade, add to potato soup for dill pickle soup or get creative and let me know how you consumed yours. The brine is loaded with nutrients.
When the jar is empty, the marker will wash off with hot soapy water. Welcome to the amazing world of fermentation.
Yes, you can do this!
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