Those Delicious Dilly Beans

Laugh if you will at jars of Dilly Beans. Whisper behind your hand into the ear of another, “that Renea is country come to town.” Go ahead, whispers don’t bother me. As we say back home, “you’re just leaving more for us.”

People have laughed at my Dilly Beans. Those million-dollar home kind of folk, the kind that turn up their nose and have no idea what they are missing. True foodies, those that embrace heritage, appreciate the sacred relationship formed when Dilly Bean lovers open a can.

Each spring I travel to Ladd’s farm supply in Cartersville, Georgia and load tiny paper envelopes with beautiful seeds such as rattlesnake, and October beans. I adore beans. I eat them raw, bake them southern style (with a hunk of seasoning meat), and pack them into jars of garlicky brine. It is this process that creates a delectable delicacy called Dilly Beans.

First, in order to create Dilly Beans you must grow the bean. For the love of humanity, and my personal sanity, please do not attempt to make Dilly Beans using rubbery store-bought beans.

Mercy no !

In Bryson City, North Carolina where I’m from, (and where those million-dollar home folk love to visit, people plant fields of white half runner beans. In the alternative a  “crease back” (also called Greasy Beans) will do. If you want a good Dilly Bean, don’t waste precious space planting a Bush Bean.

While Bush Beans are delicious and have their place at the table, one

must grow a bean that, when mature, has a white bean inside. Full beans resemble fingers. They are crunchy and bursting with flavor. Garlic and dill are two other key ingredients. Both easily grown in most parts of the country, or purchased in stores, if it is an actual emergency.

After picking and rinsing beans, add garlic and dill to the jar. If necessary use a butter knife to press beans together.

Now it’s time to make the brine, but first a story about how I discovered Dilly Beans (excerpt from my book In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches 2014 release).

I first tried dilly beans at the Sawmill Hill Freewill Baptist Church in my hometown of Bryson City, North Carolina. As ladies unwrapped fried chicken, potato salad, and a bounty of other made-from-scratch dishes, Annie Mae Cooper popped open three wide-mouth jars.

“What are those?” I asked as she placed one jar on each table.

“Dilly beans,” she replied.

I am certain my face revealed confusion. Perhaps I even turned up my nose just a bit which is why she pierced two beans with a silver fork, cupped her hand to collect the dripping brine and approached.

“Just try ’em.”

Crisp and filled with garlic flavor, dilly beans are delicious. They are so scrumptious they have replaced pickles at my house. Annie Mae, thank you for sharing this recipe. It is with great pride that I pass it along to others. If you like dill pickles, you will love this recipe.

Supplies: 4 to 6 pint jars, rings and can lids.

Ingredients:

2 pounds unbroken green beans (washed with stems and strings removed)

4 heads fresh dill

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic

2 ½ cups water

2 ½ cups white vinegar

¼ cup pickling salt or kosher salt

Combine water, vinegar and salt in a saucepan. Heat until mixture begins to boil, and salt has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Place a small sprig of dill and one slice of garlic in the bottom of a glass canning jar. Sprinkle pepper flakes into jars then tightly pack beans lengthwise inside.

Pour liquid into jar. Leave ¼ inch of space at the top. Wipe the jar opening with a clean cloth to remove any trace amounts of moisture. Place a lid on the top, secure lid and tighten ring just enough to seal the jar.

Sealing Instructions: 

Dilly beans are processed in a water bath. No pressure cooker is required. One only needs a large pot with enough headroom to cover the jars with one-half (1/2) inch of water.

To prevent glass from breaking, pour warm water into the pot. Add jars. Make certain water covers the lids. Cover pot with lid and heat water until boiling. Boil in water bath for ten minutes.

Use metal tongs to remove and then place jars on a towel to cool. When the lids make that unmistakable popping sound, they have sealed.

Place any jars that do not seal in the refrigerator. Dilly beans are ready to enjoy three weeks after processing. This time allows the spices to flavor the beans.

Renea Winchester is the award-winning author of In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes. Her next release, In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches features delicious recipes like this.

 

A Basket Fit for A Queen

Having my work selected by the Pulpwood Queen has been my dream since the release of In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes. I knew that given the chance Queen Kathy Patrick, founder of the largest book club in the world, would fall in love with Billy Albertson just like I, and countless others had.

Kathy not only loves books, she loves baby chicks which was why I sent her a copy of In the Garden.

A month passed, then another, until finally I shelved the dream of being picked.

If I’ve learned anything during this journey as an author it is to never, ever give up. During the summer as I sliced cucumbers and boiled the brine to pour my thoughts returned to the Pulpwood Queen. I was working on Billy’s sequel titled In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming, Fords & Fried Bologna Sandwiches.  (more baby chicks, and this time…recipes). Perhaps I would bring jars of pickles to events as door prizes. I thought the same when slicing jalapeno peppers for the pepper jelly and as I held my breath and mixed the spice rub ingredients.

Then came the news, Kathy selected In the Garden with Billy as a Pulpwood Queen pick. The news came during one of those dark times, one filled with self-doubt. As tears pricked my eyes I felt like Sally Field: Kathy liked me, she really liked me.

Or the baby chicks…it mattered not.

Kathy asks all authors to donate a personal item, autographed if possible, to her annual Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson Texas. This item is auctioned off with proceeds benefiting a cause dear to all of our hearts, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. And while being on a panel with New York Times Bestselling authors is a bit daunting, the basket I have assembled is fit for a queen.

Bread & Butter Pickles, Japaleno Jelly and Spice Rub from Mr. Thomas.

It is filled with love and appreciation. Readers will bid on jars of Dilly Beans, Bread and Butter Pickles, Grape Jelly made with grapes from the historic Hembree Farm, and a jar of Spice Rub from Georgia’s own, Mr. Thomas. But that’s not all…tune in later for an image of the basket and a complete list of everything inside.

Renea Winchester is the award-winning author of In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes.

She is represented by Sullivan Max Literary Agency. In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming Fords & Fried Bologna Sandwiches will be released in 2013. Until then, she is hard at work at her first novel. Friend her on Facebook at: In the Garden with Billy, or visit her at www.reneawinchester.com

 

Fall is in the Air at Billy’s

Despite enduring another hot-dry summer in Atlanta, I’ll admit when the earth turns away from the sun I begin to get sad.The summer passed too fast. “Those people” who said, “the older you get, the faster time passes,” were right!

This has been a busy week. I had planned to finish proofing the manuscript for my next book titled: Stress-free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author, but you know what they say about plans.  I was deeply focused when the telephone rang.

“I’ve picked six bucket of figs. Do you think you can put them up?”

Figs, lots and lots of figs !

I knew this call was coming which was why I posted a Facebook announcement, practically begging people to go to Billy’s and buy figs (pears too). But alas, no one came.

Reluctantly, and I do mean very reluctantly, I stepped away from editing, packed my car with jars, posted an SOS on Facebook that said, “If you want pears (or figs), come to Billy’s.” Fortunately, Jennifer Carver responded. I’ll blog about her adventure later.

“Canning” figs after a rain is a difficult process. Figs must be harvested within  a few hours after the rain or they begin to sour on the vine. Add to this a higher water content and you have a recipe for a long, hard day hovering over a steaming pot of figs praying for them to thicken.

Eventually, I ran out of time (6 hours later) and had to settle for figs that weren’t as thick as I would have liked. Fig “preserves” at Billy’s do not “set-up” like typical jam. We use no preservatives: instead equal parts sugar/figs with a squeeze of lemon juice to add a bit of acid, is all we use. Because of this preservative-free process, once the jar has been opened it is best to consume it all or keep it in the refrigerate and use in a few days.

Additionally, my kitchen table is adorned with beautiful peaches from the Grier Orchard. The last of the peaches to be exact.

Last Saturday, I drove an hour and a half (one way) to get “the last” of the peaches. It was worth every dollar in gas and second of my time. I will not convert these peaches to jam. Instead, I enjoy two delicious each morning while silently mourning the dwindling amount.

This is why the fall season hurts me. Trees become naked. Local fresh fruit: non-existent. Truly, I believe it is the lack of fresh fruits and vegies in the winter that make us feel so badly. That and (I’ve discovered) the older I get, the more I need to be warmed by the sun.

But there’s hope. Praise God I have some late beans coming along. I’ve also convinced a couple of cucumber vines to grow. I’ve done this by keeping them protected with large jars until the vines begin reaching for something to climb. I’ve also planted them in a container. My prayer is that once they bloom and begin to produce tiny cukes, I can trick them into living indoors.

I know, I know, but please humor me. Soon I’ll be in denial. I also have a tomato plant I’m hoping to move indoors as well.

Are you planning to grow vegies indoors? Are you hoping to extend the growing season? Do you have any ideas to share?

Renea Winchester is the award-winning author of In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes. She may be reached at www.reneawinchester.com

 

Peach Jam

By Renea Winchester 

Over the next month, during the height of the “canning season,” I invite ya’ll to join me in the kitchen as I prepare jams and “put up” our bountiful harvest. I’ll begin with Georgia’s pride and joy, the peach.

I could embark on a journey filled with peachy memories, but honestly there’s no time. My kitchen table is full of ripe peaches; they won’t last long.

Perfect Jam begins with the perfect recipe

 The most important “ingredient” in this process is The Ball Blue Book Easy Guide to Tasty, Thrifty Home Canning and Freezing. Acquiring this book is high priority. Do not, repeat NOT purchase a recent edition. I prefer Edition 28 (Copyright 1966…Lithographed in U.S.A.) This edition spells syrup, “sirup” and contains recipes like grandma made. Other crucial ingredients required are: fruit, sugar, lemons, jars, lids, and patience.

Tip: This is very important. Do NOT slice all the fruit at once. I purchased a bushel of peaches believing I could “put up” the entire bushel in one day. After all, I’ve watched it done, how hard can it be? Trust me, do not slice an entire bushel of fruit at once.

Tip Two: Equally as important, do not double the recipe. Prepare one “batch” place it in glass jars, seal, clean utensils then repeat. It is remarkable how the slightest change in barometric pressure or fruit quality can affect the end product.

With this in mind, lets begin.

Step One: Preparing Fruit. Instructions inside boxes of pectin advise, “use ripe fruit free of blemishes.” It is impossible to transport fruit without at least one peach getting a “blemish.” Fruit is fragile. It will bruise. Wash the peaches then remove the “bad spots.” Slice peaches accordingly. Also, a quick word about ripeness, if peaches are very ripe (meaning soft), they will disintegrate during the boiling process, resulting in jelly, not jam. For this reason, toward the end of the cooking process, I always toss in a handful of fruit that is less-than-fully ripe.

Step Two: Slicing Fruit

            Cube or slice the fruit (your preference) and place in a bowl. Immediately squeeze the juice of a lemon over the fruit.  The lemon’s acid prevents browning. I never, under and circumstance ever, crush the peaches (as instructed in some pectin recipes). Texture, of course, is a personal preference.

An Aside: At this point peach juice should be trickling down your elbow. You have my permission to lick it off.

Step Three: Should You Use Pectin?

 Most fruits will jell without adding store-bought pectin. If you decide to use pectin, remember to follow the recipe inside the box. Some recipes instruct you to add the pectin first, others require that the fruit mixture be boiling before pectin is added. The order in which the pectin is added does matter. Additionally, you might want to add a thin slice of butter to prevent “foaming.” Foam isn’t harmful and can be skimmed off before jam is poured into jars.

Step Four: Waiting and Stirring

While the peach mixture is coming to a boil, now is the time to heat the jars. Place a large pot on the stove and add enough water to raise the water level to ½ an inch. Place the rings in the water (rubber side down) and place a clean glass jar on top as shown in the photo. Turn the stove eye on medium-high. Jars should become warm, but the water should not boil. Heating the jars prevents them from breaking when you add hot liquid.   Don’t forget to stir the peaches with a wooden spoon. You do not want them to stick to the bottom of the pan and scortch.

Step Five: Stirring until Boiling

When you first add the fruit to the pot it will be thick and almost dry. DO NOT ADD WATER. Sugar will adhere to the fruit and begin to liquefy as soon as the temperature increases. Carefully stir the fruit. Stirring the mixture is an important process in making any preserve. Don’t allow heavy chunks of fruit to stick to the bottom of the pot or it will burn. Ideally, you want the mixture to come to a boil slowly, which can happen anywhere between ten to twenty minutes. 

Step Six: How To Tell When Jam Is Ready. The Freezer Test

After the mixture begins to boil, you’ll notice most of the fruit liquefies. This is when I add the extra less-ripe fruit to keep the jam “chunky.” 

It is important to test the jam before adding it to the jars. Using a metal spoon, remove a small amount and place the spoon in the freezer. Turn the heat down to low while the mixture cools. If the jam is ready it will feel “tacky” to the touch. 

Another Aside: It is perfectly proper to lick the spoon. Just wash it before reusing.

 NOTE: Some cooking will occur during the water bath process, and it can take up to two weeks for jams and jellies to “set up.” Keep that in mind when doing the freezer test to prevent jam you have to cut with a saw.

Step Seven: Filling the Jars                      

Using a glass measuring cup, fill warm jars with hot jam. Fill to the bottom rim of the jar (which allows ½ inch headspace). Wipe the jar clean. Place the hot lid on top of the jar and fasten ring tight, but not over-tight.

 

Step Eight: Almost Finished Return jars to a pot that has at least an inch of hot water in it. Gently place the filled jars into the pot. Slowly add more water until the jars are covered with at least ½ inch of water. Bring water to boil. Boil for ten minutes. Then remove from heat.

Step Nine: Remove From Water and Admire

Using tongs, remove jar from hot water and GENTLY place the jar—lid side up—on a towel that is on the counter. Do not store jars upside down. Most jars will seal within minutes. For any jars that do not seal. Unscrew the top, wipe the mouth of the jar clean and reprocess them in the water bath. If they still do not seal, place them in the refrigerator and eat immediately.