How to Make Lacto-Fermented Dilly Beans

I love a lot of things from the garden, but when the beans come in, I get really excited. Fermented dilly beans are my all time favorite snack of summertime. While a lot of people like to make canned dilly beans, I prefer to keep all the probiotic goodness in mine. This is why I make lacto-fermented dilly beans instead of canning them. They don’t last a long time around here anyhow!

This recipe is extremely easy to make, and is also fairly simple to adjust to your liking. Try using different herbs to give different flavors. Don’t worry, this ferment doesn’t take weeks–only 3 to 4 days and they’re ready to go!

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Easy Sourdough Starter and Bread Recipe
• Easy Blueberry Cobbler with Fresh Blueberries
• Sourdough Dinner Rolls (Long-fermented)
• Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin with Collard Greens
• Old Fashioned Mennonite Cinnamon Rolls

What You’ll Need For Fermented Dilly Beans

You’ll only need a few simple ingredients for your dilly beans, but feel free to mix and match different herbs, containers, etc. And keep in mind that these dilly beans don’t taste sweet like canned dilly beans.

• a glass jar for fermenting (a mason jar is fine)
• fermenting tops or cheese cloth
• green beans
• pink sea salt (or any salt)
• garlic cloves
• dill
• bay leaf
• peppercorns
• water

It’s really that simple!

How to Make Dilly Beans

Now that you know what you’ll need, let’s learn how to make fermented dilly beans!

Fermented Dilly Beans Recipe

8 cups water
2.5 tbsp pink Himalayan sea salt (or any salt)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs dried dill, or a bunch of fresh dill (chopped)
1/2 tbs. peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Fresh Green Beans, cleaned (enough to fill your crock or jar but leave head space)

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add salt and boil until combined. Let cool for 5 mins.
2. Place your beans in your crock or jar, leaving enough head space for liquid to fill in.
3. Add remaining dry ingredients to , and then pour salt brine over beans until they are completely submerged.
4. If your beans begin to float, add a fermentation weight or heavy bowl to the top. Cover the top of your crock with a secured towel and rubber band or string.
5. Allow to ferment on your counter top for at least 7 days. They will smell delightful! When finished, place into cans and refrigerate to slow the fermentation process, or keep them in a cool place in your pantry or root cellar (in the crock or in new jars),and they will continue to ferment until you’re ready to eat them.

Lacto-Fermented Dilly Beans

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 3 days

Total Time 3 days 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 2.5 tbsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs dried dill, or a bunch of fresh dill (chopped)
• 1/2 tbs. peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh Green Beans, cleaned (enough to fill your crock or jar but leave head space)

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add salt and boil until combined. Let cool for 5 mins.


Place your beans in your crock or jar, leaving enough head space for liquid to fill in.


Add remaining dry ingredients to , and then pour salt brine over beans until they are completely submerged.


If your beans begin to float, add a fermentation weight or heavy bowl to the top. Cover the top of your crock with a secured towel and rubber band or string.


Allow to ferment on your counter top for at least 7 days. They will smell delightful!

When finished, place into cans and refrigerate to slow the fermentation process, or keep them in a cool place in your pantry or root cellar (in the crock or in new jars),and they will continue to ferment until you’re ready to eat them.

Notes

These do not taste like sugary canned dilly beans, but they are still amazing!