My mum always did this, and her mum before her. When I asked her years later why she’d stopped doing it she said that the beans had started to come out slimey, – same for my aunty – and a cousin who lived in Wales. (we’re in GB)

I have the John Seymour book where he says 1lb of salt to 3lb of beans and if they go bad you’ve not used enough salt – but – these ladies had been doing it for years, I’m sure they knew how much salt to use, all they could think was that the salt had somehow changed.

I am going to try it though – I’ve been looking for a big crock for ages – going to have to use plastic bucket (home brew type) and kosher or rock salt that has no iodide or other additives added.

My mother salted every runner bean she could lay hands on – She used plastic sweet bottles (except they were always glass in her day!) and kept the filled bottles in the cupboard under the stairs! I always supposed this was because they needed to be kept dark but it could have been because that was the only space for 3 or 4 large jars. The salt used was sold in blocks which had to be chopped up. The juice from the beans melted the salt and by the time they reached the top of the sweet jar, there was enough liquid to keep the beans covered.

The only criteria she had was that she wouldn’t dream of touching the beans if she was off colour or if it was “her time of the month”. The only time our beans spoiled was when she ignored this point. She certainly never blanched the beans before salting – I only remember her washing any that were actually soiled.

This salted bean discussion has really made me want to go out and get some done. Christmas dinner with salted beans – yummy.

I’ve never done it this way but it probably would work. The most important thing is that the vegetable matter is kept completely under the liquid so that it does not come into contact with the air. You could try placing a large plate upside-down into the bucket and place a stone on top of it so that the plate holds the vegetable matter down but the gas bubbles can escape around the plate. I hope that makes sense.

Sometimes you will get a little bit of growth on the surface of the beans (or sauerkraut) but all you need to do is scoop the top layer off and throw it away. What is underneath is usually still fine if it has been kept well.

If there is not enough liquid in the crock to cover the beans you can add a bit of salty water just to cover.

It could be that your seal wasn’t air tight enough and also as Karen mentioned, not enough salt. Without seeing your setup and the measurements that you used, it is hard to say. The beans should stay green and there shouldn’t be a bad smell. I would toss these beans out and try again.

The crock I use gives me an airtight seal and keeps bacteria from getting inside.