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I tried to preserve runner beans last year by salting them but after a week there was such a bad smell from the jar I had to throw it all away. I followed,or so I thought the recipe so to speak to the letter but must have done something wrong.
I am used to making jams,jellies,chutnies etc so sterilizing jars is not new to me.
Can anyone suggest any tips.
I wondered if I used the wrong salt? I think I used sea salt if my memory serves me correctly.
Thanks

Mum and dad never had a freezer till they were really getting on,so everything was salted.My job was always the runner beans,and I'm racking my brains to figure out where you went wrong,anyhow here's what I did: I put a layer of ordinary table salt about an inch deep in the bottom of one of those brown crock things with darker brown ring round the top(you still see them everywhere).Then alayer of shredded beans just picked,then salt then beans then salt,etc.etc. then when full greaseproof paper over the top secured with an elastic band,then placed under the stairs and eaten over christmas and the new year.Is this what you did?
Best Wishes.

The old preserve books I've seen all say to avoid sea salt and use "ordinary" salt. Presumably this is because sea salt contains lots of other stuff as well as salt, which might be the root cause of your problem. Finding out what was meant then by "ordinary" might be a problem - even modern table salt has additives.

Mike

Thanks for the replies.
I used a Kilner jar not a crock but I dont think this should be a problem.
I really dont know what happened as I put a layer of salt- maybe not thck enough?!- then beans then salt all the way to the top.
After a few days it di go to liquid,the salt that is and seemed to turn into a brine from the look of it although I didnt open the jar.
The smell after a week was like rotten eggs or a stink bomb,most unpleasant.
This year I will try again but use normal table salt and see what happens!

Well I never remember there being any liquid,though the salt was pretty damp,which suggests maybe you didn't use enough........anyhow good luck for this year......freeze some too just to be safe!

I used to salt runner beans until a few years ago, I stopped because I'm not that keen on frozen or salted beans after Christmas ... I think they taste manky, but also because I decided to stick to seasonal vegetables to a greater extent.
We've been salting beans for umpteen years before using wide necked sweet jars, and the secret is to use plenty of salt and to make sure that the liquid totally covers the beans (after a few hours).
The salt I used was cheap bulk salt from a catering shop in (I think) 10 kilo bags.

just out of curiosity... how do you eat the beans after they have been salted? are they not a bit too salty?

<- has never had salted beans

Annpan wrote:just out of curiosity... how do you eat the beans after they have been salted? are they not a bit too salty?

You soak them in fresh water for an hour or so before cooking ... they are not salty at all believe it or not.

Hello,

I'd plum for the not enough salt option, especially if things got watery. The beans often shrink so I find I always need to top up with more salt the next morning. Sometimes the shrinkage is so great I can top up the salt layer, add another layer of beans and then a final salt layer.