Pickled Green Beans With Lemon Verbena and Lime Basil

Preserve summer fresh picked beans, scented with citrus flavored herbs, yes you can sub organic lemon zest for herbs or use both as I did. This recipe is "raw packed" because we don't cook the beans before packing them into the jars. Fresh lemongrass would be a great addition to these. Just slice a piece to fit into each jar. Just give it a whack to release it's oils.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 6 12 ounce jars

Ingredients

• 2  lbs fresh green beans (firm, not wilted, soft or overripe,ends trimmed,cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces) or 2  lbs  yellow beans (firm, not wilted, soft or overripe,ends trimmed,cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces) or 2  lbs  purple  beans (firm, not wilted, soft or overripe,ends trimmed,cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1  vidalia onion (peeled, halved, cut to match the beans size)
• 2 -3  tablespoons  minced fresh  lemon verbena
• 2 -3  tablespoons  minced fresh lime basil
•  lemon zest (4 pieces the size of a nickle) (optional)
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1⁄4 cup canning salt or 1⁄4 cup pickling salt
• 2  cups boiling water
• 2  cups white vinegar (5%)
• 4  garlic cloves, more is yummy (peeled)
• 2  teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. In a pot bring to a boil the vinegar, salt and sugar to dissolve.
2. Mix the beans and onion together.
3. Put garlic clove in each jar, distribute herbs and seeds in the bottom of each jar and then the beans and onions. Add optional lemon zest per jar.
4. Pack the jars fairly tightly, but be sure to leave 1/2 inch of headspace.
5. Pour the boiling vinegar solution into each packed jar.
6. Use a ladle or Pyrex measuring cup to carefully fill each packed jar with water from pot of boiling water. Fill to within 1 inch of the top. The beans should be covered and there should still be 1/2 inch of airspace left in the top of each jar.
7. Put the lids and rings on.
8. Put the lids on each jar and seal them by putting a ring on and screwing it down snugly (but not with all your might, just "snug").
9. Using the jar tongs, put the pint jars in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling.
10. Boil them for.
11. 5 minutes for 0-1,000 ft.,
12. 10 minutes 1,001-6,000 ft.,
13. 15 minutes above 6,000 ft.
14. Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place overnight.
15. Then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it.
16. Give it a weeks time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickled beans.
17. FYI- you can leave the beans whole as long as you leave the 1/2 inch headspace. BUT you will need more jars.