We grew green beans for the first time this year, and holy smokes are they prolific!  They are definitely one to plant again.  But like any heavy producing veggie in the garden, when you end up with a glut of them, it can be hard to use them all up.  I decided to try refrigerator dilly beans.  I got the basics from Cooking Light’s recipe for spicy dill beans, but I toned the spice down.  Last year I overdid it a bit and the pickles were all kind of too hot for us.  They would make a cute summery food gift if you wanted to take the final step and actually can them.

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar $
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (about 8 cloves) 
• 8 fresh dill sprigs
• 4 small dried hot red chiles
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add garlic, dill, and peppers to pan. Let stand 1 minute. Pour vinegar mixture over beans in a large glass bowl; cover and refrigerate 1 week, stirring occasionally.