Pickling, which is preserving food in a brine or vinegar solution, is more than a form of food preservation. It’s a way of transforming garden-fresh vegetables, like green beans, into crunchy, tangy side dishes and condiments. Refrigerator pickles are safely preserved through a combination of the pickling-liquid acidity and the cold-storage temperature of your refrigerator. Szechuan pepper has an exotic, hot flavour that punches up this bean pickle. As the cell walls of the beans continue to soften over time, it becomes easier for the flavours to move into the pickles; for this reason, it’s optimal to let the pickled beans sit in the fridge for a few days before you use them.
This recipe was originally published in the September 2025 issue of alive magazine.
