Sour beans

[Bountyhunter]

Does anyone have a recipe for "sour beans"? As far as I can tell, the beans are salted and then fermented in a jar. My wife's grandma used to make them, and my wife has lost the recipe.

Bill

 

[shmrck1]

Bountyhunter,
Just wondering how they were used
after the fermenting process, and how long it
took for the process to complete. Cold packed
or canned, and do you recall what type of beans
were used. Sorry I have more questions than
answer...
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[coehornboy]

Bounty Hunter: Are you talking about green beans? Here is a Pennsylvania-Dutch recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned, trimmed of ends and snapped into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup cider or white vinegar
3/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the beans in lightly salted boiling water until tender-crisp, about 15 minutes depending on the age and size of the beans. Drain and place in ice water to stop the cooking. Pat dry in a towel. Place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, water and sugar. Stir vigorously with a whisk or fork until the sugar is dissolved. Taste, adding more vinegar or sugar as desired. It should be a bit more tart than you want, because it will mellow out when mixed with the beans. Pour the liquid over the beans. Add the salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Taste again. Vinegar or water may be added at this stage, but not sugar. Place in refrigerator for at least several hours, preferably overnight. Stir occasionally if not totally immersed in the liquid. Beans will keep up to a week. If you want them to last longer, make certain they are covered with the liquid. They will last for several weeks.
Note: Canned beans may be substituted for the fresh. Drain them well and do not cook.

In Asian cusine, there is fermented black beans, which are actually soybeans.

:v

 

[Bountyhunter]

Boys,

They were green beans, yes.

Danged if I know much more about it, that's why I'm askin. But they sounded good. From what I can find out, they were packed in jars, and salt was added and they were cooked a bit and allowed to ferment in the jars before sealing. I would suppose that they would keep the same as any green beans packed in mason jars.

Funny thing about real large families, they can suddenly come to a screeching end. In about 20 years my wifes family is now down to her and her sister. They cannot find the mothers or grandmothers recipe boxes, so since the family was originally from Ohio and Michigan, I wondered if some of you guys in the Pennsylvania Dutch or German settled country might know about them. If these last remaining two find the recipe, I'll post it. Sure would make good camp fare.

Bill