Dilly Beans

I like having ready made side dishes to help make meal prep easy. As with applesauce, pickled beets, and salsa, these dill beans make a great side to sandwiches. We can throw burgers on the grill and enjoy a homemade dinner in about 15 minutes. The zippy beans are more substantial than a cucumber pickle and stay crisper in the brine. I've heard of people adding them to a relish tray, used as a swizzle stick for a Bloody Mary, or enjoying a whole jar in a single sitting.

Dilly beans are traditionally made with green beans. But since we grow both wax and yellow, I used both. The garlic and cayenne punch up the flavor. After making, let sit on the shelf for at least a week before eating.

Remove ends from beans and place in jar lengthwise.

Add fresh dill or dill seed, cayenne and garlic clove.

Combine brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes and pour over
beans in jars. Adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

Allow jars to sit at least one week before consuming.

Dilly Beans
from The Ball Blue Book
makes 4 pints

2 lbs green or wax beans
1/4 cup canning salt
2 1/2 cups vinegar, 5% acidity
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cayenne, divided
4 cloves garlic
4 heads fresh dill or 1/4 cup dill seed

Wash & trim beans. Peel garlic. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Pack beans lengthwise into jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1 clove of garlic, 1 head of dill or 2 tsp dill seed. Ladle hot pickling liquid over beans leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust lids. Place in a boiling water bath. When water starts to boil, process pints and quarts 10 minutes. Remove from canner, cool 12  hours. Remove rings, wipe jars and store. Consume within 1 year.

Dill Pickle Chips

We make several varieties of pickles and relishes, but my favorite for burgers are dill chips. We've started using the mandoline to slice - I prefer the crinkle cut. I like both the texture and the appearance. I've also used the food processor (also the crinkle cut blade), an old Salad Shooter (that's right, I still have a Salad Shooter) and used a knife to make extra thick slices (perfect for a pickle plate). If you prefer, you could leave cucumbers whole, or slice lengthwise into spears.

These are briny, dilly pickles that pair well with rich foods like cheeses and roasted meats. We grow lots of dill, so I prefer to use the fresh herb. Feel free to substitute dried dillseed. You can also use the brine recipe to make refrigerator pickles. They won't be shelf stable, but they come together fast and offer a crisper texture - just be sure to store in the fridge.

Despite all the rain, we're having a good pickle season.
The raised hills helped keep the roots out of the standing water.

Cucumbers from the same plant ripen at different times. This is a typical haul.

I like using a mandoline to slice. In addition to the crinkle cut I have lots of thickness options.

Place herb and cucumbers in jar and pour hot brine over.
I like adding dill to the top and bottom of the jar.

Allow the finished product to sit for one week before consuming to allow flavors to fully develop.

Dill Pickles
Makes 7 quarts:
5-6 lbs 4-inch pickling cucumbers, sliced or whole
14 heads fresh dill or 1 cup dried dill seed
4 cloves garlic, slightly smashed
3 quarts plus 1 1/2 cups water
4 1/2 cups white vinegar
6 Tbsp pickling salt

Make brine: Combine water, vinegar, salt and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pack cucumbers loosely into quart jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add dill.

Pour hot brine over cucumbers, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace (steeped garlic cloves can be added to the jars, if you prefer). Wipe rims and adjust two piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Let pickles stand one week before opening.

Fresh Herb Dips

Our herb bed is just outside the kitchen. I want the herbs close so I can grab a handful of fresh flavors when I'm cooking. Despite taking cuttings almost every day, the bed is packed so I'm always looking for new ways to use herbs. These dips help use the excess.

Throughout the summer, I keep a variety of dips in the fridge. Along with fresh vegetables from the garden, the dips make a quick side. Throw burgers on the grill and a meal is ready in 15 minutes. And in addition to great, fresh flavor, these dips are healthy and filling.

Removing the liquid from the cucumbers will keep the Yogurt Dill Cucumber Dip
 thick and creamy. Start by chopping cukes, tossing with salt and allowing to sit for
an hour.  Rinse, drain, and squeeze to remove excess water. 

Easy peasy! Mix all the ingredients, refrigerate for a couple hours and enjoy!

Yogurt Dill Cucumber Dip (Tzatziki)
Adapted from World Vegetarian
Greek yogurt provides a tangy base for this dip. To use regular yogurt, drain in a cheesecloth lined strainer in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cups Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 green onion, white part chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine cucumber and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Cover and set aside for one hour. Rinse cucumber, drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine with remaining ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Herb & Feta Dip incorporates four distinct herbs for a fresh, bright flavor. 

Yogurt Dill Cucumber dip (left) and Herb & Feta dip (right).
Serve with fresh vegetables, crackers or pita wedges.

Herb & Feta Dip
From EatingWell
Once pureed, the beans make a creamy base that's enhanced by the addition of yogurt and feta. The flavor also pairs well with grilled chicken, lamb and vegetables.

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

Garden Update from John, Chief Gardener

Hi friends! Checking in with a garden update. We had a nice soaking rain yesterday and the garden is looking great. 

Musque De Provenance Pumpkins.  Just blooming and beginning to produce fruit.  

We have been picking and freezing Rodcor yellow wax beans and Provider snap beans.  I started picking Northern Pickling cucumbers this week and did some pickling yesterday while Jan was out.

Whole dill pickles packed in jars ready to have lids placed and be processed. 

Processed dill pickles with red chili pepper. 

Processed bread & butter and whole dill pickles.

The whole dills are one of the easiest, yet enjoyable items you can process. Great for first time canners. I used this recipe:

Kosher Dill Pickles:

From The Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

For each quart:

1/2 pound pickles, 4 inch size (5 or 6 cucumbers)

4 heads fresh dill, or 2 tablespoons dillseed

1garlic clove (optional)

1 small piece dried hot pepper (optional)

2 1/4/ cup water

3/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon of pickling salt

Rinse cucumbers and remove stem and blossom end. Pack cucumbers into hot clean quart jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add dill, garlic and pepper. Make a bring by combining water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil and pour hot brine over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim, adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Let pickles stand one week before opening.

New this year, I used the Ball Pickle Crisp, so we will see if the pickles end up crisper than normal. 

Honey Harvesting and Bee Status 

Our lone bee hive.  We are down to one hive this year, but it is thriving.  I harvested two supers of honey earlier this year and will probably pull one more in August.  The two wide supers at bottom of the hive is where the queen generally lays eggs, and the shallow supers at the top are where the honey is stored. 

Bee pollinating some of our squash.  The bees in the garden keeps me company while I weed.  

Harvested and bottled honey.

Honey in jars to be given to family and friends.  Half, one, and two pound jars.

Cover Crops

Pumpkins planted late with buckwheat growing as a cover crop to suppress weeds.  I generally hoe down the buckwheat as the pumpkins spread and grow.  And the bees love the buckwheat!

Cover crops have become an important part of my gardening rotation.  Buckwheat, rye, clover, radishes, and other crops have been useful in weed suppression and adding organic matter to the garden. 

See you next time! Happy gardening!

John