Well, i'm FINALLY getting around to buying garden seeds. Which ones do you guy
prefer to make whole "Dilly beans"

any favorite recipes for them? Last year I grew a mix of beans, and did some
mixed dillys using yellow (wax) beans and some standard green beans, but they
turned out pretty mushy, so I don't know.

THanks,
John

(Bpyboy) wrote:

> Well, i'm FINALLY getting around to buying garden seeds. Which ones do you guy
> prefer to make whole "Dilly beans"
>
> any favorite recipes for them? Last year I grew a mix of beans, and did some
> mixed dillys using yellow (wax) beans and some standard green beans, but they
> turned out pretty mushy, so I don't know.

"Fortex" worked well for me. Wax beans worked well in a sweet, saffron
pickle (recipe in ng archives); those "Yard-long" beans were ok but not
as crisp. The Italian flat-pod types worked well too.

I had some leftover "juice" so I did some radish pods that way. Those
are great, but... make sure you pick them *really* immature, or they'll
be tough, stringy and a bit nasty. They are damned cute in the tiny 4
ounce jars. :-)

Bpyboy wrote:

> Well, i'm FINALLY getting around to buying garden seeds. Which ones do you guy
> prefer to make whole "Dilly beans"
> any favorite recipes for them? Last year I grew a mix of beans, and did some
> mixed dillys using yellow (wax) beans and some standard green beans, but they
> turned out pretty mushy, so I don't know.
> THanks,
> John

I live in the desert so things bolt and get stringy pretty quick. Last year I used
farmer's market, Green Lake I think. They were a little tough. They might have
benefited from a blanch for a minute or two. The pickled carrots sure did. I did
use some frozen Fancy French Baby Haricort that turned out really well. I think
haricort is just french for green bean, but these are about half pencil width.
Edrena

(Bpyboy) wrote in
:

> Well, i'm FINALLY getting around to buying garden seeds. Which ones
> do you guy prefer to make whole "Dilly beans"
>
> any favorite recipes for them? Last year I grew a mix of beans, and
> did some mixed dillys using yellow (wax) beans and some standard green
> beans, but they turned out pretty mushy, so I don't know.
>
> THanks,
> John

I can't grow my own and use those I purchase at the supermarket. I don't
know the variety, but they're slighty smaller in diameter than a pencil.

I usually blanch them for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. The texture is good.

Wayne

"The Joneses" > wrote in message
...
>
> I live in the desert so things bolt and get stringy pretty quick.
Last year I used
> farmer's market, Green Lake I think. They were a little tough.
They might have
> benefited from a blanch for a minute or two. The pickled carrots
sure did.

So that's the secret??? I canned green beans for the first time in
many years and they came out fine. Using the same batch of beans, I
dilled some, and they are tough. They're ok for plain eating, but
not great in my beet-n-bean salad.

Deb
--
(in Oregon, the pacific northWET) ;>

hey wayne, what kind of blanch? I prefer a steamer, to try and preserve as
many nutirents as possible, just stop the enzymes. Do you use a boiling water
bath?

Thanks,
John

I put up dilly beans every year and just wash and dry the green beans,
stuff them in the jars long ways and pour the mix over them. Never have
blanched them, they're pickles, get the vinegar mix right they're not
going bad plus I BWB them for the recommended time.

George

Bpyboy wrote:
> hey wayne, what kind of blanch? I prefer a steamer, to try and preserve as
> many nutirents as possible, just stop the enzymes. Do you use a boiling water
> bath?
>
> Thanks,
> John

(Bpyboy) wrote in
:

> hey wayne, what kind of blanch? I prefer a steamer, to try and
> preserve as many nutirents as possible, just stop the enzymes. Do you
> use a boiling water bath?
>
> Thanks,
> John

I use boiling water, but follow an old recommendation of Julia Child; huge
quantity of water at a heavy rapid boil; relatively small quantity of beans
plunged in all at once. There should be enough boiling water that the
introduction of the beans does not bring the water under the boiling point.
Cook (blanch) 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, tops.

Wayne

George Shirley > wrote in
:

> I put up dilly beans every year and just wash and dry the green beans,
> stuff them in the jars long ways and pour the mix over them. Never
> have blanched them, they're pickles, get the vinegar mix right they're
> not going bad plus I BWB them for the recommended time.
>
> George
>
> Bpyboy wrote:
>> hey wayne, what kind of blanch? I prefer a steamer, to try and
>> preserve as many nutirents as possible, just stop the enzymes. Do
>> you use a boiling water bath?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> John
>

George, I've tried them several ways and still actually use two metnods.
Both methods as well as the timing depend largely on the tenderness (or
lack of) of the beans.

If I'm going to BWB and the beans are tender to begin with, I never pre-
blanch them before putting them in the jar with the vinegar. If they're
really tough, I do blanch in addition to the BWB.

If I'm going to make them and immediately store in the refrigerator, I
blanch briefly to insure tenderness, or longer if the beans are tough.

AFAIC, raw beans in vinegar, without either blanching or BWB, are simply
not edible.

Wayne

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> George Shirley > wrote in
> :
>
>
>>I put up dilly beans every year and just wash and dry the green beans,
>>stuff them in the jars long ways and pour the mix over them. Never
>>have blanched them, they're pickles, get the vinegar mix right they're
>>not going bad plus I BWB them for the recommended time.
>>
>>George
>>
>>Bpyboy wrote:
>>
>>>hey wayne, what kind of blanch? I prefer a steamer, to try and
>>>preserve as many nutirents as possible, just stop the enzymes. Do
>>>you use a boiling water bath?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>John
>>
>
> George, I've tried them several ways and still actually use two metnods.
> Both methods as well as the timing depend largely on the tenderness (or
> lack of) of the beans.
>
> If I'm going to BWB and the beans are tender to begin with, I never pre-
> blanch them before putting them in the jar with the vinegar. If they're
> really tough, I do blanch in addition to the BWB.
>
> If I'm going to make them and immediately store in the refrigerator, I
> blanch briefly to insure tenderness, or longer if the beans are tough.
>
> AFAIC, raw beans in vinegar, without either blanching or BWB, are simply
> not edible.
>
> Wayne

Mine are always tender as I grow them myself and they're being canned
within 30 minutes of picking, sometimes sooner. I've never tried to do
them without the BWB so don't know about the taste that way. I think
I've probably seen at least a thousand recipes for dilly beans and they
were all good.

Funny story: a couple of years ago I gave my daughter a quart jar of
dilly beans. Went to her house in Houston area for the weekend and for
dinner she served green beans. Took one taste and realized she hadn't
read the label, they were hot dilly beans. Somewhat odd to eat but we
got a big laugh out of it.

George