Now you are turning them over so they will be fully pickled. I would do it after a few days of being in the jars. Then wait a few days, and turn them right side up.
If you processed them according to the proper time, they are sealed, then they are fine. No botulism. Don't worry, just relax. (All new canners go through this!)
Next time you will know more of what to look for when packing the jars. I guess if you are really concerned, put the jars in the fridge...

Helen, you are a hoot. I love the title of your post.

OK, to keep this brief, once appropriately processed and sealed, the flippin' stuff is safe. The worst that will happen if product floats above the brine is there might be some discoloration or slight difference in flavor because it wasn't fully submerged. Nobody's going to die because 1/4" of dilly bean is protruding.

Now, if you want to submerge the floating product, wait at least 24 hours to assure the seal is fully formed. I'd also leave on the rings, just because I'm not very trusting.

Any time after that you can flip the jars however long you like.

Carol

What I don't get is how does anyone ever not have stuff sticking up out of the brine? I thought the 1/2 inch head space for both the beans and the brine was just asking for trouble - and so I thought I was so smart cutting them a little shorter. Then the ALL just rose to the surface. Do they eventually drop back down?

I suppose the secret to achieving the perfectly packed jar is just years of experience, right?

Oh I can't wait until I can do my nice simple tomatoes! A couple of weeks according to the farmers market lady and there will be a box of Romas with my name on it.

Hmmn. The Ball Blue Book recommends 1/4-inch headspace.

Anything that isn't hot-packed is more likely to float. It's a given. And yes, sometimes as they absorb pickling solution, they do sink a bit.

For pickled green beans last time I used Ball 12-oz. quilted jelly jars, which are taller and straight-sided. That way I could cut the beans a bit longer and have an attractive presentation for any gifts.

I know I'm not the only one who's had good luck placing the jar on its side and packing the beans in horizontally. You can pack the beans a bit tighter and that also tends to reduce float. (Caution: some products need to be packed loosely; it's a density issue.)

I notice the dilled bean recipe in the new "Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving" calls for a hot pack, which would be messy as all-getout if you really wanted to compose the contents. It does sound pretty though, with 50-50 green and yellow wax beans, red bell pepper strips and peppercorns in addition to the dill and garlic.

Carol

Oh Carol, you paint a picture. That recipe does sound pretty. I wonder if the presentation of my beans will be OK? I'm making way to much for only us, but my dear MIL loves them. I have never made them, but my husband's Aunt does, and the MIL can't get enough of them.

The Aunt's recipe says 1/2" and so did the recipe I followed that Linda Lou posted in a thread titled "Favorite Dilly Bean Recipe?"

Maybe it was a typo. A subsequent and very similar recipe posted there by Gardenlad says 1/4 for the brine, so I think I'll go with that for the quarts.

Isn't it funny that I trust Linda Lou and the Lad so much after "knowing" them for mere days.

Helen

(I trust others here, too - just thought "Linda Lou and the Lad" had such a fun ring to it.)

Both Linda Lou and Lad are Forum stalwarts. They give good advice.

Not necessarily a typo. I've seen different versions of the recipe with different headspace. One thing about the 1/4" is that the beans are tall enough there isn't much room for float, maybe just a smidgen on the bottom.

Smidgen. Now there's a really technical term.

Carol

USDA guidelines for the pickled dill beans is 1/2 inch.
These are standard USDA guidelines for headspace:

Directions for
canning specify leaving 1/4-inch for jams and jellies, 1/2 inch for pickles and relishes, 1/2-inch for fruits and tomatoes to be
processed in boiling water, and from 1- to 1-1/4-inches in low acid foods to be processed in a
pressure canner. This space is needed for expansion of food as jars are processed, and for
forming vacuums in cooled jars. The extent of expansion is determined by the air content in the foods and by the processing temperature. Air expands greatly when heated to high
temperatures; the higher the temperature, the greater the expansion.

Maybe that is what happened to me, ha ha, too high of a temperature and I expanded ! Well, I am now shrinking, lost 40 lb. so far ! All those veggies and sugar free stuff, minus the few occasional slices of sweet pickles and teaspoons of zucchini relish. Now, I may have to try some sugar free Linda Lou's apple pie jam this year.
Surely it would be good, too.

Interesting set of guidelines, Linda Lou. But, apparently, nobody bothered passing them on to the folks at Ball.

Almost all of the recipes in the BBB for soft spreads, condiments, pickles, relishes, and pickled vegetables calls for 1/4 inch headspace. The only exception of note is saurkraut, which does call for 1/2 inch.

It's only when they get into pressure-canning that headspace expands to an inch. Maybe I'm missing some, but I haven't seen a single recipe that calls for more than an inch of headspace in the BBB.

40 pounds? Wow, Linda Lou, that's wonderful!

GL, I checked my Ball Blue Book and you are right, mine says 1/4 inch. Hmmm. Of course, I just eyeball it anyway, so it could be anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch anyway. LOL

Annie

Well, I knew it said 1/4 inch for Dilly Beans, Annie. But then I checked _all_ (whoops, sorry Jessy. all) the BBB recipes, and quarter inch is their overall recommendation.

Tightly packed jars will help to hold the contents in place while the brine is poured over to cover the product. I jam pieces of cucumbers into the tops of filled jars so they help hold the rest down. The garlic is nearly pickled once it sees the vinegar brine. I only flip maybe once or twice, especially if I have added a bit of dried sweet red pepper bits to each jar prior to filling. I like to add these as it gives the pickles a nice bit of color. They sink as well as added spices. My jars all get about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of head space. If I want the contents to be totally submerged, I tightly pack it down more of a distance from the jar rim. Most vinegar based pickles will shrink a little and loosen up a bit, causing them to float. I wouldn't worry about the exposure only because you have already heat processed the jars, so there is no danger of spoilage if there is a vacuum inside. About the only thing that does work better is to can peaches using an ascorbic acid juice that covers them completely. I have also added a small dash of the ascorbic acid by sprinkling on the surface of each jar prior to capping. I do this to reduce the oxidation effects that peaches are prone to.

I just thought it was interesting that the latest edition (2005) of the BBB specified 1/4"; however, the hot-pack dilled bean recipe I mentioned from their newest book lists 1/2" headspace. However, like Annie, I just don't worry about it that much and eyeball the headspace.

Linda Lou, what an achievement for you to lose that much weight. It sounds like you're feeling better, and that's great to hear.

I hope we can look forward to some inspiring low-sugar/no-sugar recipes.

Carol

Just be careful not to pack too tightly. Linda Lou mentioned last year that she knew someone who got botulism from too tightly packed pickled asparagus.