Pickled Green Beans

Just even the thought of any vegetable pickled in a sea of delicous vinegary goodness makes my mouth water. Crunchy, crisp, and fresh, these pickled green beans take only 48 hours to fully develop that oh so craved, pickled flavor! If you are new to this method of preparing vegetables, don’t even begin to wonder about the many variables of canning, as this is a beginners guide as well as a recipe! You also most likely have everything you need tucked away in a cabinet in your kitchen! 

Let us start off with some tips…you know, just in case you didn’t spend every summer canning with your grandma: 

1.  Vinegars:  You can use white vinegar, which will give a milder vinegary taste or use apple cider vinegar, which will give you a stronger vinegary taste. It all comes down to how much of a vinegar fanatic you are. 

2.  You can go with garlic, dill and a few pepper flakes for a typical dill flavor. If you like Italian, you can use oregano, garlic, basil, rosemary, and parsley; all or a couple. For a spicy taste you can use garlic, dill, and chili peppers. Really, the combinations are endless, I mean if you like sweet then go for cotton candy, peeps, and a handful of jelly beans. 

3. Canning jars are what is called for in most pickled recipes but if you aren’t going to seal the jars you can use any kind of non-reactive container that has a lid (glass, ceramic, some stainless).  

4.  The vinegar to water ratio is 1:1. To measure the vinegar and water, I would suggest, to pour vinegar to fill your container ¾ full and pour into your pan.  Then do the same for the water.  It will end up of being more than you need as the green beans will displace some of the liquid but then you know you will have enough liquid.  You can always save the extra liquid for your next batch. 

5. If canning (sealing the jar), try this easy method. Take jar, fill it half-way with water and place it in the microwave for 3 minutes. When finished use a hot pad and pour the boiling water over the lid and seal. 

Servings: 1 quart jar of pickled green peans 

Ingredients: 

 3 cups of vinegar

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of white sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

About 30 green beans

2 bay leaves

4 thyme sprigs

4 garlic cloves, pealed

Put it together: 

1. Place vinegar and water in a pan. Stir in the white sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the white sugar and salt. 

2. Snap the ends off the green beans and pack tightly into your container. The green beans will shrink as they pickle so pack them very tightly. If canning (sealing) the jar, leave ½” headspace at the top of the jar. 

3. Put your chosen flavorings around the green beans along the outside of the container. For example place a couple sprigs of thyme and dill and a couple cloves of peeled garlic around the outside of the tightly packed green beans.

4. Once the white sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the boiling liquid into the container to cover the green beans. Leave headspace if canning.

5. Place the seal and canning ring on, or the lid on the container.  If canning, you can use the hot pack method and simply turn the jar over. It should seal within 45 minutes. 

6. Go to the store and pick up some patience, make sure to get the kind that last at least 48 hours. Then place the pickled green beans in the refrigerator for 48 hours. 

7. After your patience has run out and it has been 48 hours, open up your container of pickled green beans and have at it! 

Recipe courtesy of, 

Jane, a lovely pickled green bean maker 

Thank you