Dilly Beans
A classic lacto-fermented pickle, using beans instead of cucumbers - flavouring with the same spices as we do: fresh dill and garlic. These develop into a bright, clean acidic crunch quite quickly with only a 5-7 days of fermentation. Pop into the fridge as they can get chewy rather than crunchy. I like to snack on these but also chop them up into potato salad, salsa's or just in a green salad as well.
Yield: 1 litre jar
Fermentation time: 5-7 days at room temperature
Storage: Months in the refrigerator
Ingredients:
- 500g fresh green beans
- 1 litre filtered or non-chlorinated water
- 30g sea salt
- 4-6 fresh dill sprigs (or 2 dill heads)
- 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1-2 dried chillies (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of brown and yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds (optional)
Equipment:
- 1 litre glass jar with lid
- Fermentation weight or small glass jar for weighing down
Method:
- Wash beans thoroughly and trim stem ends only, leaving pointed tips intact.
- Dissolve salt completely in water to make your brine. Set aside.
- Place dill sprigs in the bottom and along sides of your clean jar.
- Pack beans upright in the jar, standing them vertically for best fit.
- Tuck garlic cloves, peppercorns, chilli, and coriander seeds (if using) among the beans.
- Pour brine over beans, ensuring they are completely covered. Leave 2cm headspace at top.
- Weight beans down to keep them submerged beneath the brine.
- Cover jar loosely with lid (do not seal tightly) and leave at room temperature away from direct sunlight.
- Check daily. You should see bubbles forming within 24-48 hours. Taste after 5 days.
- When beans reach desired sourness and maintain a good crunch (typically 5-7 days), seal jar tightly and transfer to refrigerator.
Notes: Beans will soften slightly but should retain crunch. If brine becomes cloudy, this is normal. Discard if you see mould or off odours develop
