It's this time of the year again. I am preserving, fermenting, and sun-drying some of the seasonal fruit and vegetables. Raw food is never boring. The final product will add nutrition and a very unique flavor to my raw dishes later on.
As every summer I got some organic Beurre De Rocquencourt Bush Wax beans (yellow string beans, botanical name Phaseolus vulgaris) at the farmers market and preserved them for later. I love beans but since they should not be eaten raw, fermentation seems like a very good solution for any raw foodist.
I am using my time-tested recipe with 2% salt. It works every time but as with everything you may need to adjust the amount of salt and spices. To fill a one quart jar I used about 1/2 pound (250 grams) yellow beans and 5 grams iodine-free pickling salt.
Tools:
- 1 wide mouth 1 quart jar, sterilized
- fermentation lid, clean tea towel, or cheese cloth to cover the jar
- 1 glass weight, sterilized
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound yellow beans or any bush beans of your choice
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 pimento seeds
- 1 sun-dried hot red chili pepper
- small twig of pickling dill (optional)
- filtered water
Method:
- Wash the beans and cut off the ends.
- Dissolve the salt in 2 cups of filtered water.
- Add mustard seeds, pimento seeds, one bay leaf and one garlic clove to the jar. Fill the jar with the beans. You want to leave at least 1/2 inch space to the rim. If the beans are too long for the jar, trim them a bit or snap them in half. Add the remaining bay leaves, garlic cloves, hot pepper, and dill, if using.
- Pour the salted water over the beans. Add more water as needed to cover the beans completely. Lightly shake the jar to mix the contents.
- Place the glass weight on top of the beans and press gently. Close the jar with a fermentation lid, clean tea towel or a piece of cheesecloth. Use a string or a rubber band to affix the fabric to the jar. Place the jar on the kitchen counter away from direct sun and allow it to ferment for up to two weeks. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen the beans might be ready after one week only. Have a look. Using clean, sterilized chopsticks take out one bean and try it.
- Once the beans fermented to your satisfaction, remove the glass weight and close the jar with a sterilized lid. Place it in the fridge. Use within three to four weeks.
Note: Do not panic if you notice a white or an off-white surface growth. This is not mold but a harmless colony of mixed wild yeast organisms. Use a sterilized spoon to skim off this pellicle from the surface. However, if the pellicle appears like a furry white cloud or is pink, purple, grey or black, toss the content out immediately. Keep things very clean to prevent contamination, spoilage and waste.
Fermented beans are great for snacking and as a side dish. They are also a tasty addition to salads, soups and sandwiches.
Lacto-fermented vegetables are delicious and good for your gut microbiome but they are usually high in histamine. People diagnosed with histamine intolerance might have to supplement with the DAO enzyme in order to enjoy cultured foods.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2025
*Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure a disease.