preserving

The need to preserve the season's bounty is beginning to overwhelm me! When August hits, I realize Labor Day is just around the corner and I start to think about canning. It's my selfish way of holding on to the luciousness of summer. If I can force myself to wait until December to open the jars, I am rewarded with color that reminds me of sunny days and late sunsets...and eating food straight from the earth, warmed by the sun. The sensory memory that is preserved in those jars makes the time-consuming task of canning entirely worthwhile. On a cold and rainy winter's evening, there is nothing better than a taste of the past, and a reminder of what's to come.


Here is my friend Catherine's tried-and-true family recipe for Dilly Beans. Although I can eat these straight from the jar, they're also the perfect accompaniment to a New Year's Day Bloody Mary!

CRISP DILLED BEANS

2 pounds green beans
1 teaspoon red pepper
4 cloves garlic
4 large heads dill -- in flower
2 cups water
1/2 cup salt
2 cups vinegar [cider}

Stem beans and pack uniformly in hot, sterilized jars.
To each pint add 1/4 t. red pepper, 1 clove garlic and 1 head dill.
Heat together water, salt and vinegar.
Bring to a boil and pour over beans.
Seal at once. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes.

Makes 4 pints.

**I like to add a small Thai bird chile to my jars for added color and heat.