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Fermented Green Beans

How to serve homemade green bean pickles

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5 from 2 reviews

Fermented garlicky green beans are probiotic and delicious. They are a quick and easy way to preserve green beans. See the sections above for 4 different flavor options.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 lbs green beans
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 Tbsp of culture (optional, see notes)
  • 2/3 cup of water, enough to cover (chlorine-free)

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the salt in a 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of a glass jar.
  2. Wash the green beans and trim the tops. Peel the garlic clove. If you’re using a pint jar, then beans will need to be trimmed to fit. 
  3. Pack the jar with the beans and garlic. Add the culture (if you’re using it) and fill the jar with water, leaving 1 inch of headroom at the top of the jar.
  4. Use a weight to make sure that the beans remain below the brine. Cap with a lid that will let CO2 escape as the ferment bubbles. See notes for details.
  5. Place the jar somewhere dark (a kitchen cupboard is perfect) to ferment for 2-3 days. After 3 days the beans will be fermented but still crisp. Store in the refrigerator and eat within 1 month.
  6. Fermentation can be used for long-term preservation. See the section above for information on how to adjust this recipe for storage pickles.

Notes

  • Green beans don’t need a starter. However, feel free to add apple cider vinegar with a mother, sauerkraut juice, or a purchased vegetable starter. I like the flavor ACV.
  • If you are doing a short, 3-day ferment, just pack the beans into a wide-mouth mason jar and use a smaller jam jar as a weight (see photo at the top of the post). Cap with a loose-fitting lid. This recipe is designed for a pint-sized jar but will fit more easily in a quart jar.Â