Green Bean Week

 

The pole beans are thriving here in early August.

Green beans are in season and boy are we seeing the bounty!  Between the bush beans and pole beans, we are searching for great recipes to share as well as how to store them for the months ahead when they won't be local and fresh in the stores.

The first thing that comes to mind is canning.  There is a certain joy in making preserves with summer fruits that carry us through the winter I can't describe.  We get to savor all the goodness in jams, jellies, and frozen to use in muffins and other foods. 

With veggies, we have to get creative.  There is an old time recipe in the Sunset Canning Guide for pickled green beans.  I have made them.  They are vinegary, dilly, and garlicky, and we love them.  They are great along with carrot and celery sticks for a platter of veggies and as a condiment in a dry martini.  They are worth a try.


If you have never canned before, these are an easy way to get started.

 

These were served plain, as pickles, alongside dinner last night.

 - Kim Fielding