Dilly Beans

These little gems are among the easiest of all canning projects, and they taste delicious. We tend to eat all our fresh purple beans. (Yes, we plan purple beans. They grow well and are more entertaining than green beans, although they turn green when cooked.) So, with beans $1/pound at the farmer's market, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to make dilly beans.

Dilly Beans
2 lbs. green beans
1/4 cup canning salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided
4 cloves garlic
4 heads dill

Trim ends off green beans. Combine salt, water and vinegar in medium pot, and bring to a boil. Pack beans lengthwise into pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Add 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 1 clove garlic and 1 head of dill to each jar. Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a hot water bath.