There are days when I get home from work and I don’t feel like doing anything. Not cooking, not eating, not even getting a glass of water. Alas, since I don’t (yet) make enough to appoint a full-time manservant (hey, I need jars opened!), these are the nights when I turn to my go-to solution: a Bloody Mary.

I know, I know. This sounds dangerously like a person who’s hip-deep in a drinking problem. Rest assured, though, that there’s a method to my madness. I mean, relatively speaking, a Bloody Mary is good for you! All that vegetable juice balances out the vodka, and it has vegetables. Real, honest-to-God vegetables! Oh, and I usually drink mine alongside some whole-grain toast and a piece of fruit or a veggie. Just in case you were worried about my mental and/or physical health.

For me, the Bloody Mary is like liquid comfort food—it was the first drink I learned how to make. At age ten, my father taught me how to measure and pour and mix (which, I later realized, was because he didn’t want to get off the couch during the last quarter of a football game). Since then, through years of trial and error, I’ve found the riff on the Bloody Mary that makes my heart go pitty-pat—including the garnish. I’ve sampled the traditional celery, sipped with carrots, lime wedges, olives…you name it, I’ve tried it. But my favorite is, and likely always will be, a couple of crispy pickled green beans.

In the beginning I didn’t give garnishes much thought. They were, after all, just some pretty, occasionally tasty, accoutrements to the Big Show. When I finally picked up my entertaining Bible, Raising the Bar by Nick Mautone, and read through the section on garnishes and syrups, a light went on. Why was I paying money for overly brined cocktail onions? Why was I eating flourescent red maraschino cherries that were suffused with artifical colors and flavors? If I wouldn’t cave and buy a pre-made sour mix, why wasn’t I pickling and stewing at home, too?

These days I am a big fan of making my own garnishes. Maraschino cherries, cocktail onions, green beans, carrots; they’re all so much fresher, crisper and more delicious when you make them yourself, tailoring the spices and cooking time to your preferences and the uses you’re putting them to. Rather than bore you all with yet another recipe for a Bloody Mary, what follows are the hows and whys of pickling green beans at home. You’ll need some special equipment to can these* for future use, but if you just want a couple little jars of brined beans, you can make fridge pickles instead.

2 lbs organic green beans, washed and trimmed
1 large bunch fresh dill, divided into four equal bunches and trimmed to fit jars
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup salt

4 sterilized pint jars

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the green beans for 1-2 minutes, drain and submerge in an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water and salt to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. Leave on heat until ready to use.

Place one bunch of dill, one clove of garlic and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste) in each of your sterilized (and still warm) jars. Divide cooked green beans into four equal groups. Stuff each jar with one batch of green beans, standing on end. The beans and dill should have ½” headspace (they should be ½” from the top of the jar). Fill each jar with the hot vinegar mixture to cover, leaving the ½” headspace.

Wipe the lip of each jar with a clean cloth to remove any food or liquid residue, and top with a clean lid and band. Tighten (but not too tight—air has to escape during the bath) and place in pot for processing or the fridge for brining. Follow instructions for your particular method to finish up the canning. Give them about a week to reach full pickle flavor, and enjoy.

*Because canning instructions vary widely depending on what kind of bath you’re using (hot water, boiling water, pressure), what altitude you’re at, what type and size of jar or can you are using and the acidity of the foods you are preserving, I recommend reading up on canning before you get started. At the very least, you will need a large pot, jar rack, a jar lifter, jars, new lids and bands (new rubber rings if you are using bale-closure jars), and a wide-mouth funnel. These are relatively inexpensive (especially if you already have the pot), so don’t let the special equipment discourage you!