I don’t know about the rest of the country, but in Vermont everybody makes "dilly beans", vinegar-pickled string beans with garlic and dill.  When I first heard about dilly beans after moving to VT in 1999, in order to immerse myself in the culture of my new home, I immediately began canning this old time tradition, lining my pantry shelves. Recently, though, rather than canning all my preserves, I have begun lacto-fermenting all of my favorites, starting with dilly beans.  I have yet to convince the true Vermonter that my creation is better than theirs, but my recipe has won the hearts of just about everyone who has tried them, including my four year old daughter, who eats them like they're going out of style. What is Lacto Fermentation? Lacto-fermentation predates canning as the original way of pickling produce.  While the scientific explanation followed later, it was discovered that foods could be preserved by this method for long periods of time without freezers or pressure canners by way of lactobacilli, a “good” type of bacteria that converts sugars and starches into lactic acid, and inhibits the growth of putrefying bacteria. In the process, it actually increases the health benefits of these foods over time by boosting the levels of vitamins, enhancing digestibility, and promoting heathy gut flora. Not only are lacto-fermented foods better for your health, but the process is also much simpler and quicker than canning. By just adding a little salt, you can turn your fresh summer veggies into healthy winter food with a tangy kick. Many different crops can be lacto-fermented with great results. Good examples are kimchi and sauerkraut, ginger carrots, and many more. Before you get started... I do all my ferments in small batches like pint, quart, and half-gallon mason jars with plastic storage lids, which you can get most places that sell the canning jars.  These lids do not interfere with the fermentation process and are not airtight so they allow the escape of gasses created in the process of fermentation. And unlike the canning process, the jars do not need to be sterilized, only cleaned well. Aside from the ingredients in my ferments, I also use something to weight down the veggies under the brine.  The veggies need to remain submerged in the brine because exposure to oxygen will cause them to spoil.  Some people use a boiled rock or glass weight, but I like to use a large leaves like horseradish (my preferred leaf), oak leaves, or grape leaves, which are all high in tannins, helping to preserve the turgor and crunch of the veggies in the ferment.  Since these may be hard to find, a large cabbage leaf will do just fine. What You'll Need Aside from the jars, lids, and weights, you will need to collect your ingredients.  This suggested ingredient list is to make one quart size jar of fermented beans, with options for the many variations I have tried and loved:
  • Green or yellow beans with stem ends trimmed, enough to stuff into a quart sized jar standing straight up and down  (my favorites are Provider and Gold Rush)
  • 1 or 2 large garlic cloves, cut in half
  • 2 or 3 large sprigs of dill weed
  • 1 or 2 dill flower heads
  • 1 TBSP of sea salt
  • 4 TBSP of whey (if you do not have whey, you can double the salt)
  • Spring water
I have tried using other fresh herbs in place of dill, my favorite being fresh thyme, two large sprigs per jar.  I also love to spice them up with hot peppers like chili peppers, habaneros, or Thai hots.  And while the traditional dilly beans are made with green beans, I have found my preference to be yellow beans because they maintain their crisp the best.  I have also tried purple beans too hoping they would retain their color, but have found that, despite being raw, they turn a dark green color after some time fermenting. The Process Pack your jar with trimmed beans, garlic, herbs, and optional hot peppers.  Top with salt and whey and fill with spring water, leaving 1 ¼ inch of head room.  Fold your large leaf that you chose for your weight to be just larger than the mouth of the jar and stuff it into the brine using it to hold down the other ingredients.  Tightly close the plastic storage lid on the jar and allow to sit and ferment at room temperature for approximately 4 days.  70 degrees is ideal, so if it is cooler, ferment longer and vice versa.  After fermenting, place into cold storage (a root cellar, the refrigerator, a cool closet or under the bed in a cool room…you will have to be creative if you don’t have space in the frig). Below 50 degrees and above freezing is ideal - if stored properly your beans will be good for at least nine months if not longer.  When you are ready to eat your ferment, remove the leaf weight, but keep any unused portion submerged in the brine and stored in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!