Last week I told someone that being short is half of my personality. This week I realized that being from Florida is half Nicole Stover.
I mean, to be fair, I already kind of knew that. As the talent behind BeachGirlGrills.com, I see Stover’s stunning food photography on my feed almost every day, from perfectly grilled fish to mouth-watering side dishes that encapsulate the joys of living outdoors along a subtropical coast.
Lives in Florida.
And she brought this up in a casual conversation about food symbolizing the arrival of hurricane season.
“Pickled” I say with storage in mind.
“Oh, yeah!” she beamed back at me. “It’s like a bloody mary bar in a hurricane!”
“That has to be one of the most Florida things I’ve ever heard,” I said happily.
Grill hot in the summer! High-quality fish tacos made with locally sourced sea bream and mango coleslaw
Most of the people reading this are Floridians, whether by birth or choice. And many of us laugh when we watch summertime memes and videos from Florida-centric content kings like OMGitsWicks suggesting that Florida residents don’t pay much attention to named storms until they reach Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Of course, the best comedy is rooted in truth.
“I plan my supplies before the season,” Stover laughs. “But other than that, it’s a party…and as soon as you said ‘pickles,’ my brain went there.”
Stover and I talked about her favorite Hurricane snacks (for some reason she can’t explain, hers are chips and tuna salad), the importance of having a separate cooler for drink ice (“I can’t have anything with cheese, salami, or diet soda in it”), and how she requires ABC for her snacks to avoid confusion with other vendors.
“There’s never a line and we have a nice selection of pork packages to choose from,” she says.
Of course, she makes most of the board decorations herself. Of note is the recipe for dilly beans that she has had in her fridge for years. It’s basically a crunchy, crunchy bottled snack with green beans instead of dill pickles.
“Pickled green beans are my favorite vegetable,” Stover said, pointing to Bailey’s General Store on Sanibel Island.
“This old-fashioned shop has been there forever and has every pickled vegetable you can imagine. And when I started cooking for myself, it was one of the first things I wanted to learn how to make.”
Luckily for her (and now you), it’s easy for beginners.
Dilly beans are lean and tart, and you can adjust the recipe to suit your tastes.
“Make it spicy by adding fresh jalapeño slices or crushed red pepper to the brine. You can also sweeten it by adding sugar,” Stover advises, noting that Hurricane Bloody Mary bars not only enjoy their presence, but also clean up your actual relish plate.
“My grandmother is from Minnesota, and she always made relish plates with pickled beets, beans, olives, etc.”
Aside from being a Midwest staple, beans shine brighter against the deep reds, pinks, and oranges of delicious cured meats.
“When I make a Bloody Mary bar, it’s like an appetizer platter. I always have it on hand when there’s a storm. It’s salami, cheese, bacon, beans, pickled asparagus, celery, and three types of olives.”
Whether it’s a storm survival kit or just a backyard brunch or barbecue, she recommends having a selection of hot sauces on hand for spice lovers, and agrees with my obsession with high-quality horseradish.
“The final swig that pours everything to the bottom of the glass is the best!”
truth.
That being said, stover is almost always eaten right out of the jar. beans, garlic, and onions (if using). In fact, pickling pearl onions is also a good idea. Whether it’s for a bar, salads or sandwiches, it doesn’t matter.
You can make pickles because you love pickles, or you can make pickles just because you want to pickle your own pickles.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram @amydroo or the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, and for more foodie fun, join our Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
refrigerator dilly beans
Recipe provided by Beach Girl Grills (beachgirlgrills.com/refrigerator-dilly-beans)
material
1 pound kidney beans, kidney beans, pole beans or yellow wax beans, ends trimmed
2 cups rice wine vinegar, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
2-3 cloves of peeled garlic
6 sprigs of fresh dill
1/2 sweet onion slice (optional)
Instructions
Trim the ends of the green beans so they are slightly shorter than the jar. A wide mouth jar is best for this recipe. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch until bright green, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Add garlic, coriander, peppercorns, and crushed red pepper flakes to the bottom of the jar. Add onions if using. Add water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and turn off the heat. Drain the mung beans. Tie the green beans into a tight bundle and place in the middle of the jar. Continue packing beans around the bunch until the jar is full. Place dill sprigs all over the green beans. Pour in slightly cooled salted water until the beans are covered. Let the jar cool on the counter before placing the lid on. For the best flavor and texture, refrigerate dilly beans for 24 hours.
