Equipment: A clean quart jar with a tight fitting lid - canning jars or flip top gasket jars are the usual choices. I pour the pickling liquid into a Pyrex 2-quart measuring cup first, then into the jar - the spout makes it much less messy.

See my pickling vegetables basic technique for more details.

Use a wide mouth jar if you can - it's hard to pack the beans tightly into a narrow mouth jar.

The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you see fur or fuzz growing on top of the liquid, throw them out.

Serve as an appetizer or side dish, or as part of a vegetable salad.

Blanched beans: To set the beans' color, cook them in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then cool them in a bowl of ice water and drain before packing them in the jar.

More spices: The original recipe adds 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and 1 tablespoon black peppercorns to the pickling liquid. Pickling spice is another good option.

Less sweet: This recipe uses a lot of vinegar (3 to 1 vinegar to water). For a less sweet, less sharp pickle, use more water, or try cider vinegar.

Adapted from Cook's Country Magazine, Dilly Beans (June 2009).