by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Summer harvest is in full force, and there is an utter abundance of vegetables to consider for pickling. For those of you who haven’t tried it, pickling is easy (in this case, we mean the canning kind of pickling, not the fermentation kind). And how perfect is it that beans, garlic, and dill are all in season together? Just pack ’em all in a jar, add some vinegar, and presto – you’ve got pickled beans in the making. Add some class to your hair-of-the-dog cocktail of choice or use your pickled beans as a punchy component in an antipasto.  Check out a couple of recipes for pickling liquids: one for green (and yellow and purple) beans, and one for beets, after the leap…

We like to use apple cider vinegar when canning. If you’re want some that has been locally made, Klippers Organics at the Vancouver Farmers Market makes a great one. For canning supplies, check out the new and wonderful Homesteader’s Emporium (649 East Hastings Street). They carry the beautiful and functional Weck jars, not to mention canning tongs (trust us, you need them).

Pickled Dill Beans

2 cups water
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic per jar
1-2 sprigs of dill per jar
1/4-cup salt

Wash and cut the ends of the beans, pack them in a jar uncooked, with the garlic and dill. Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a rapid boil. Pour liquid into a sterilized jar, and process according to canning methods. Repeat brine recipe until your beans are all canned! Add chili flakes to taste if you like it spicy.

Pickled Beets

2 cups water
2 cups apple cider vinegar
½ cup local honey
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tbsp cinnamon

Boil the beets until fork-tender. This way, it’s easy to remove the skins. Put beets into desired sterilized jar whole, quartered, or sliced. Meanwhile, combine water, vinegar, honey and spices in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Pour liquid through a sieve into jar, and process according to canning methods. Repeat brine recipe until your beets are all canned!

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.