Recipe Manuscript

To Pickle Green Beanes

Name: To Pickle Green Beanes
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT3M
Yield: 5
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500 grams fresh green beans; 100 grams sea salt (for brining); 1 liter cold water (for brining); White wine vinegar (approx. 500 ml, or enough to cover); Olive oil (for oiling parchment, as substitute for oylie paper); Extra salt (about 0.5 tablespoon per jar for the vinegar stage); Parchment paper (to mimic oylie paper)

1695

From the treasured pages of Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz

Written by Granville family

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Beginner Snack Other

Original Recipe • 1695

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Pickle Green Beanes

"Cutt out of the Stalkes of the Beanes and Laye them In Watter and Salt for about a Weekes Space then take them from that Watter and green them in fayre Watter and When they Are Very green and Drained from that Licquor Put them Into the Vessel you intend to Keepe them Addinge White Winne Winegar and Salt to them Cover them With an Oylie Paper and Sett them by for your Vse in the Winter-----"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in a continuous, instructive prose typical of early modern English household texts. The spelling reflects 17th-century norms: for example, 'watter' for 'water', 'winne winegar' for 'white wine vinegar', and 'lycquor' for 'liquor'. There is minimal punctuation and capitalization varies, making interpretation a playful puzzle. Recipes from this period assume some prior kitchen knowledge and rarely specify exact measurements or times, thus modern adaptations must fill in the gaps while honoring the spirit of the original.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz (1695)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Granville family

Era

1695

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey through the culinary traditions of the Granville family, this historical recipe collection serves up a taste of English kitchens from the 17th and early 18th centuries. Brimming with time-honored techniques and flavors, it invites modern readers to savor the spirited inventiveness of early modern home cooks.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe originates from the Granville family collection ('V.a.430'), dating between 1640 and 1750, a time when preserving seasonal food for winter was essential. Pickling vegetables like green beans allowed households to enjoy fresh flavors even in the lean months, reflecting both necessity and ingenuity in pre-industrial kitchens. The method of using salt and vinegar was typical for pickling before refrigeration, and the use of an 'oily paper' cover speaks to period methods of keeping air (and thus spoilage) away from preserved food.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks of the 17th and 18th centuries would have used large earthenware or wooden bowls for brining, simple knives for trimming the beans, and pots over open fires for heating water. Beans were packed into stoneware jars or glazed earthenware vessels. 'Oylie paper' referred to parchment or paper brushed with oil to keep the pickles from direct exposure to air and possible spoilage.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

3 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans
3.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) sea salt (for brining)
4 cups cold water (for brining)
White wine vinegar (approx. 2 cups, or enough to cover)
Olive oil (for oiling parchment, as substitute for oylie paper)
Extra salt (about 0.5 tablespoon per jar for the vinegar stage)
Parchment paper (to mimic oylie paper)

Instructions

Trim the ends and stalks from 1 pound of fresh green beans.
Place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with a brine made from around 4 cups of cold water and 3.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) of salt.
Let them soak in this brine for 7 days in the refrigerator, changing the brine once or twice if desired.
After a week, drain the beans and blanch them quickly in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, until they turn a vivid green, then immediately drain and cool them under cold water.
Pat them dry with a clean towel.
Pack the beans into sterilized jars.
Pour over enough white wine vinegar to cover the beans completely and add half a tablespoon of salt per 2 cups vinegar, making sure all are submerged.
If you wish to mimic the original preservation, cut a circle of parchment paper, brush it lightly with olive oil, and place it on top of the beans in each jar.
Seal the jars and store them in a cool, dark place for winter use.

Estimated Calories

35 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes around 20 minutes to prep the green beans and start the brine. Cooking (blanching) only takes a few minutes. Most of the time is waiting for the beans to soak for a week in the fridge. Each serving is about 100 grams, and each serving is low in calories since beans absorb little salt and vinegar.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.