Pickled Green Beans With Ginger and Lemongrass

Fall had settled in and the lingering bounty of Summer was being harvested and preserved. A night in late summer that was unusually cool, I hung out with some friends to catch up on True Blood episodes. My friends, L and M, are awesome hosts and laid out the munchies for the vampire fest. Along with the chips and hummus, there were spicy pickled green beans. The green beans were firey, crunchy, tangy and slightly salty. No, did not get the name of the brand because I was caught-up in vampires, shape shifters, zealots and other creatures of the bayou. But I savored the pickled veg and decided to try my hand at making a quick version for quick consumption. I have never made a real (keep it on a dark shelf for months) pickle before so the recipe I came up with IS NOT for long-term canning/preserving. It's a quick pickle, for quick consumption. They should keep for several weeks in the fridge. There are a load of websites if you want to get down and get serious with the process. Here's a link to one: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can6b_pickle.html National Center for Food Preservation. What would be very on point is to purchase a product from one of purveyors in this Cooking Lounge post. And of course, use this recipe as a guide to make your own. Enjoy, Cooking Lounge!