Issues → September 2006 → Food →
Too Much of a Good Thing
Recipes for bumper crops of zucchini, green beans, and kale
by Victoria Doudera
To deal with the bounty of a successful summer garden, you need a three-pronged plan of attack. First, find some new ways to dish up old favorites such as zucchini, collard greens, kale, and spinach. Next, transform that bumper crop of basil or summer squash into freezer-friendly fare for those months when all you'll harvest are snowballs. Finally, if your loved ones put on that I-can't-stand-to-eat-another-green-bean face, try the sneakiest strategy of all: Make holiday gifts for grateful friends and family.
Dilly Beans
Vegetables Recipes
Yield: 4 pints
Properly canned, these tart, crunchy dilled beans will keep for months -- the perfect holiday or housewarming gift.
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- 8 to 10 sprigs of fresh dill
- 4 medium cloves garlic, sliced vertically
- 4 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons coarse or pickling salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
Wash beans, then cut into lengths 1/2 inch shorter than jar. Cook beans in boiling water to cover 1-1/2 minutes; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain and set aside. Pack beans tightly into sterilized jars. Add 2 to 3 sprigs of dill and a few slices of garlic to each jar.
Combine vinegar and next four ingredients in nonreactive saucepan; bring mixture to a boil. Boil 1 minute; pour hot mixture over beans, filling up to 1/2 inch from top. Remove air bubbles by tapping lightly; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes.
Reviews by Readers
These are great, love them. Great at parties and holidays. You try. – Reviewed by Douglas Hoover
Had lost the recipe and was so glad you had it. Saved a 29-year-old marriage. – Reviewed by Patricia Favolise
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