Great Grandma’s Sour Dill Yellow Beans

By Liz Belina, Seed Savers Exchange member

“This old family recipe has been passed down without being written down,” says Liz. “It was made often in the summer to go along with panfish Grandma would catch in the pond with her cane pole. Since she was here as a first-generation Bohemian, I like to think the recipe came from that region.”

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh yellow beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
• 2 heads of dill at the seed stage
• Water to just less than cover beans in the pot
• 2 tablespoons flour, approximately
• 2 tablespoons butter, approximately
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Cook dill heads and beans in water until they are softened; do not drain.

Make a roux by melting the butter in a small frypan. Add flour to the melted butter, stir the mixture while toasting it to a light brown, and whisk in vinegar.

Remove the dill heads from the beans.

Add small amounts of the bean water to paste and cook until the flour has thickened. Add the paste to the beans.