Dilly Green Beans

 I made up two batches of Dilly Green Beans that I love to take on picnics and give as presents.  It is so nice to be able to give away something homemade that tastes so good.  I had to use dried dill because I could not find any heads close to home.  These days if it isn't local I don't get it.  I am telling myself nothing is worth the extra gas money to drive all around the countryside aimlessly.  I did go to one farm stand and they had just made homemade donuts!  Now that was worth the gas money.  I have to learn to make them at home this winter.  Ok another thing to put on my bucket list.

By the way, there was a load of "evidence" that the deer were in the back yard last night. Although Mister T did not get them to move away he did scare them enough to $#&!  That made me smile.

Dilly Green Beans
Yield: 7 Pint jars
Ingredients:

4 lb Table perfect whole green -beans
1 3/4 ts Crushed dried HOT red pepper
3 1/2 ts Dried dill seed OR 7 fresh -dill heads
6 Cloves fresh garlic
5 c Vinegar
5 c Water
1 c Less 1 tablespoon pickling

Instructions:

-salt (non-iodized) Wash beans thoroughly remove stems and tips and cut them as much as possible in uniform lengths to allow them to stand upright in 1-pint canning jars coming to the shoulder of the jar. Have jars clean and very hot and lids and sealers ready in scalding water. In each jar place 1 dill head or 1/2 teaspoon dill seed add 1 garlic clove and 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper. Pack beans upright in jars leaving 1 inch of headroom. Heat together the water. vinegar and salt; when the mixture boils pour it over the beans filling each jar to 1/2 inch from the top. Run a plastic knife down and around to remove trapped air adjust lids and process in a 185F. bath for 10 minutes after the water in the canner returns to a simmer. Remove jars complete seals if necessary. The beans are almost garden-crisp but the high acidity of the vinegar allows this boiling-water bath to be safe for a low acid food. If you substitute ground cayenne pepper for the crushed hot red pepper halve the amount of cayenne: use only 1/8 teaspoon cayenne to each jar. Wait at least two weeks for these beans to develop their flavor.