Dilled Pickled Carrots and Beans
You will often see either dill pickled carrots or dill pickled bean recipes online. I have always made them together as Dill Pickled Carrots and Beans. If you haven’t tried dilled carrots or dilled beans before you’re missing a simple and healthy homemade treat. If you prefer you can make just dilled pickled carrots, or dilled pickled beans using this easy recipe, but I suggest pickling them together for variety and then you only need to open one jar instead of two.
Canning Pickles of Any Kind
Canning foods has two basic categories, high acid and low acid. Pickles are high acid so there is no need to use a pressure canner. This makes pickles incredibly easy to make. I promise, if you can boil water you can make homemade pickles. Just be very safety conscious as everything is sterilized with boiling heat, cleanliness and safety are very important when canning anything pickles included.
Sterilizing Jars and Lids for Canning Pickles
You can sterilize jars in the oven, dishwasher, microwave, or stovetop. The method I choose depends on how many jars I need to sterilize. This pickled carrot and beans recipe makes six-pint jars of pickles, so the simplest way to sterilize the jars and lids is to sterilize them in boiling water on the stovetop.
How to Sterilize Jars in Boiling Water
Wash and rinse your jars. Take a very large pot, and fill it with hot ( not boiling) water. Place the jars open-side up into the pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars plus an inch. If you have room you can place your rings and lids in the same pot, if not place them in a second pot and boil like the jars.
Bring the water to a boil and let it boil for ten minutes. Once boiling turn the stove down but keep the water simmering.
While your jars are boiling, prepare the carrots and beans. Besides wanting sterile jars you want your hands, counter, sink, etc as clean as possible.
Pickled Beans and Carrot Recipe
Start by purchasing fresh carrots, my carrots are from a local market garden. Clean the carrots, trim off the top, and any stringy small roots. If you’re pickling baby carrots, the skins are thin and don’t require peeling. Scrub with a vegetable brush or a clean pot scrubber, this takes most of the skin off. Then wash the carrots really well and set aside. If using large carrots peel them and cut them into 4″ fingers. Wash well in clear water and set aside.
You will want two sprigs of dill for each jar, wash the dill and set it aside.
Wash the green beans, trim the ends, and cut them to fit into the jars about 4″ long.
Filling the Jars
Place one sprig of dill in the bottom of each jar. Place the jar on its side and fill it with alternating layers of carrots and beans. (it makes the pickle layers prettier). If any piece of carrot or bean reaches into the top half inch of the jar trim it shorter.
Once full, turn the jar right side up and place in more carrots or beans wherever you can. Then add a second sprig of dill.
Make the Dill Pickle Brine
This recipe makes enough for six pints. The ingredients are very simple.
2 pounds fresh carrots
Bunch of Dill (2 sprigs per jar)
Brine Ingredients
4 cups pickling vinegar
2 cups water
2 pounds green beans
2/3 cup pickling salt
2 cups white sugar
Note: Don’t substitute the pickling vinegar or the pickling salt for everyday table vinegar or table salt. Pickling vinegar is more acidic and pickling salt is purer then table salt. Table salt will change the color of your pickles and will cloud the brine.
Place all the pickling brine ingredients in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Cook until boiling, then turn down and let simmer.
Slowly pour the hot pickle brine over the beans and carrots leaving a 1/2″ headspace from the top of the jar. Wipe the top of the jar with a clean cloth. Quickly place a hot lid on top of the jar and then add the ring. Tighten and set aside.
Repeat the process with the next jar.
Sealing Jars
Don’t touch the jars while cooling. As the jars cool you will hear them “pop”. Once the jars are cool, push on the lids to test if they are sealed. If the lids push down they aren’t sealed. This can happen for lots of reasons, maybe the jar wasn’t hot enough, or there isn’t quite enough brine etc. If a jar doesn’t seal store it in the fridge instead of the cupboard.
Let the pickles age, I don’t suggest using them for about six weeks.
Dilled Carrot and Beans Pickle Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots
- 2 lbs green beans
- 1 bunch fresh dill
Pickling Brine
- 4 cups pickling vinegar
- 2 cups water
- ⅔ cup pickling salt
- 2 cups white sugar
Instructions
- Sterilize 6 pint jars, lids and rings.
- Prep the carrots and beans. Wash the beans, trim the ends and cut into lengths less than 4 inches. Wash the carrots, if baby carrots scrub with a vegetable brush, if larger carrots peel and cut into finger sized pieces.
- Layer the carrots, green beans and dill into the mason jars.
- In a large pot, add the pickling vinegar, water, pickling salt and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Cook over medium high until boiling. Reduce temperature and let simmer while filling the jars.
- Fill each jar with brine leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe each rim with a clean cloth to ensure seasling. Quickly place a hot sterile lid on top, add the ringer and finger tighten.
- Let the jars cool on the cupboard, wait until you hear them "pop", check the seal. If a jar doesn't seal store it in the fridge before using.
Notes
Other Homemade Pickle Recipes
As so many purchased pickles have food color that I am very allergic to, and a long list of chemical ingredients not needed, and sources where the water quality may not be the best we have begun to make pickles like I did eons ago. It’s so easy to do it surprises me that I ever stopped.
This is our family’s relish recipe, it’s a sweet relish that you can adjust to make it your own.
