Italian Zukes in Olive Oil

It's that time of year!

Zucchini season!

Zucchini's are everywhere!!!  They are so yummy but you just can't eat them ALL NOW.  This will be a multipart series on preserving zucchinis.  Today we are making refrigerator preserved zucchini's in olive oil.  If the oil covers the vegetables, they will last up to six weeks refrigerated.  

This recipe is  AMAZING!!!  If you have extra zucchini's, you HAVE TO MAKE THESE!!!    Friends are unloading their zukes, and I will take them ALL!!!

Ingredients:

Toddler sized zucchini (really just 2 - 3 lbs), but adjust recipe based on your needs

8 cups water

4 cups white vinegar

3/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt

Hand full of Peppers (I like spicy, but use one red bell pepper or as many spicy peppers as you like) 

Either: 1 head of garlic, OR 1-2 tablespoons of pre-chopped, OR 1 teaspoon of dried garlic

Italian seasoning.  Fresh if you have it.  I used 10 sprigs basil, 3 sprigs oregano, 3 stems of rosemary.  You can also use 1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 teaspoon of black pepper (preferably fresh ground)

Good olive oil (1-2 cups to cover)

1/2 gallon jar or multiple smaller jars

Here's whatcha do:

1. Sanitize jars in dishwasher or by hand   
2. Thinly slice the zucchini - use the food processor if you have one.  Use a mandolin if you have one.  A knife also works. 
3. Bring water, white vinegar and salt to a boil.
4. Add zucchini to the boiling water, in batches if needed.  Reduce to simmer.  Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove zucchini with a slotted spoon into a strainer to strain extra liquid
6. Rough chop peppers, garlic and herbs (if using fresh)
7. Add peppers, garlic, herbs, black pepper to large bowl
8. Add zucchini to the same large bowl and mix well
9. Add mixture into prepared jar(s).  
10. Use a chopstick to get out air bubbles by slowly poking and slowly stirring.
11. Top with olive oil taking care that all the veggies are submerged.
12. Refrigerate for at least one day but up to six weeks...  
13. Enjoy on crusty bread, in pastas, as an amazing charcuterie with olives, bread and cheese! 

I would love to hear your zucchini recipes!  Leave them below in the comments! 

Fermented Limes

 Fermented limes are divine! 

Fermented limes allow you to have that tangy sour wonderful taste WHENEVER you want it without having to run to the grocery store.  Plus as an added bonus, they taste BETTER!!!  And you get healthy gut probiotics!

Here is the best sales pitch I could find!

in 1869 a Boston physician wrote that pickled limes were among the “unnatural and abominable” substances consumed by children with nutritional deficiencies.”

Here's where I started.  I had a bag of limes and wanted to make sure I didn't waste any....

Then....  we chop the top/bottom nubs off, slice into fours, place in a mason jar and add non-iodized salt (I used Kosher today).  Be VERY liberal with the salt!!!

Traditionally you leave the lime connected at the bottom so the four slices are still connected like the picture below.  

Then pound them in.  The limes need to be covered with the acidic lime juice.  It will take some muscle power!  I recently invested in a fermenting pounder, but a spoon or anything that can crush them will work.  

Keep filling your jar alternating limes and salt!

Then keep pounding them down....  

Once you are done you need to weight down the limes so they are under the lime juice/salt mixture.

I use either fermentation weights or ziplocks filled with salt water.  Here is how I do the ziplock weights:

Fill a ziplock with a little bit of water and about a teaspoon of non-iodized salt.  Fill it to about the amount of head space you have in your jar... 

Then place the baggie into the top of the jar, making sure all the limes are submerged into the juice.  Air is not our friend!!!

I had to let some salt water out.  Here;s the ziplock keeping my limes safe!

And all set to sit out at room temperature for a week to a year and let the magic happen!!!!  The lime pith becomes less bitter.  The peels are the delicacy and the salty limey brine goodness makes amazing marinades!    If there is any non-white mold growing on the top, throw out the batch.  

Enjoy!!!!