A Try at Canning...

Okay, for many of you, you're probably laughing out loud right now at the thought of me canning.  Well pbbbtthhhhhhhhh!  I did it!  Well, I think I did it.  I'll know better in a couple of weeks when I get to pop the top and do some sampling.  Here's what I did - stay tuned for a report on the results:

Spicy Dilly Beans -- LOVE these in a Spicy Caesar!  (For those of  you reading this that live farther than 50 miles from the Canadian border... a 'spicy caesar' is not a salad!  It's like a Bloody Mary, but uses Clamato juice instead of tomato juice.  VERY tasty!)

2 lbs fresh green beans - snap off the ends and (if needed) cut them down so they will fit into a pint-sized wide-mouth canning jar [I probably used about 6 or 7 pounds, but 2 lbs of beans should give you 4 pints]

Prepare your jars -- they need to be clean and then placed in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Same thing for the lids and the rings.  Remove the jars/lids/rings but keep your water simmering away.  You need a LARGE canning pot [I don't have one, so used a crab cooker instead - worked okay as long as I had full basket of jars, but things got a little wild on my last batch when I only had 3 jars and they started sliding around in the boiling water]

In a stockpot, prepare your brine [if using more beans - adjust amounts accordingly]:

• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup canning salt [I used Kosher salt]

Bring this to a boil - and then let it just simmer away on the stove.

Start packing your jars...
Lay the jar on it's side and then start laying in the green beans until they are pretty darn full.  The tops of the beans should be about 1/4 inch (or more) from the top of the jar.

To each jar add:

• A clove or 2 of garlic [I added 4]
• A couple sprigs of fresh dill
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper [didn't have enough, so used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes instead]
• Ladle brine into jar until it comes to 1/4 inch from the top of the jar

Place lid onto jar (make sure that there is a clean seal and no dill fronds get caught) and then seal with the ring.  Pack the jars into your canning rack and submerge into boiling water -- water level has to come over the tops of the jars.  Once the pot returns to a roiling boil, start your timer and let it go for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars and place on a towel on your counter.  As they cool, you should hear a distinct POP as they seal.  Leave them be for 12 hours and then push down on each lid -- there shouldn't be any movement.  If the lid does go up and down when you press on it, then use this jar first and store the others for a minimum of 2 weeks before trying. 

UPDATE:  Popped these open at Thanksgiving and they turned out AMAZING!  Nice crunch - great flavor!  Gave them away as Christmas gifts and will definitely be making more next year.