SPICY Italian Giardiniera for Canning (and how to make them Chicago friendly)

Spicy Italian Giardiniera 

WARNING:  EASY TWO DAY PROCESS!!!!

Giardiniera is like a religion to my in-law Italian family.  You are required to love it.  And LOVE it I do!   I have very deep American Cali roots, married into an Italian/Chez/Mid-Western Family.  Living on the east coast.  As a foodie and gardener, I must learn the affliction.  Spicy, Loving it.  Vegetables, Loving it more! Pickled with a little ferment, you got me hooked!

Giardiniera is a country food.  You can add whatever you have on hand for vegetables or spices.  There are a few requirements...  vegetable mix, vinegar, garlic, other spices of preference.  Everything else is gravy.  There are spicy, not spicy, oily, vinegary, etc.  

If you are water bath canning, then you need to do the Northern Italian Giardiniera recipe.  That means vinegary and not oily.  That is what I will be doing this time (I don't have a pressure canner and am not educated on how to do more than water bath canning).  If you have a pressure canner, by all means, search out the southern recipe or Chicago and follow their directions!  Always follow the USDA canning guidelines.  Safety first!  To make them Chicago and/or southern recipes, add 1/2 cup of oil after opening a canned jar and store in your fridge for two weeks after opening.  

Link to USDA Canning Guide:  https://nifa.usda.gov/press-release/usdas-complete-guide-home-canning-available

'bout to get canned! Poor jars!

Ingredients:

Day One

4 pounds of Jalapenos, sliced (make sure they look really good - I sliced in my food processor)

1-2 pounds bell peppers

1/2 head of cauliflower - chopped into small florets

1/2 - full bunch of celery

1 pound of carrots, sliced

1/2 cup of Kosher or Sea Salt

1/2 - 1 lb green beans

(feel free to switch out veggies, any combo will do - other options:  onions, sweet peppers, zucchini, eggplant)

Day Two

~ 1 head garlic (1/2 to 1 clove per jar)

~ 3-8 bay leaves (1 per jar, depending on jar size)

4 c, white vinegar

1 T. white sugar

Optional per jar:

1/2 t. oregano

1/8 t. celery seeds

1/4 t. pepper corns

1/4 t. red pepper flakes (for extra spicy)

1/4 t. mustard seeds

Any other spices you like

Directions:

1. Day 1:  Chop all the veggies uniformly to your liking (small or larger bite size pieces).
2. Place all the veggies in a large non-reactive (glass or ceramic is best) large bowl or pan and cover with 1/2 C. Kosher or sea salt,
3.  Cover the veggies with
    enough water to keep them submerged.  Use a plate or bowl to keep them under water for at least 6 hours, preferably over night.  Do not leave for more than 16 hours.  
4.   Welcome to Day 2!  Sanitize all your jars - boil or put them all through the dishwasher
5.   Drain and rinse the veggies really well. 
6.   Add the spices to the jars.   Add the optional ones you want.  Do this and the next steps while the jars are hot so they don't break.
7.   Pack the veggies into your prepared jars using an canning packer if you have one or your hands or a spoon
8.  Make the brine:  Boil the water, vinegar, salt until it hits a rolling boil.
9. Pour the brine over the veggies in the jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space in each jar
10. Wipe the lid of each jar with a clean paper town or towel and place the lid and ring on tightly.  
11. Bring a big pot (or canning pot) of water to boil (follow normal canning instructions here...)
12. Boil Giardinia pint jars for 10 minutes - please research other jar size times :-) and elevation adjustments.   Its an easy google!  
13. Listen for the ping! of the can sealing or check your jars to make sure the seal is sealed.  Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a few weeks.   
14. Add 1/2 cup of oil per pint after opening if you want that Chicago taste!  Refrigerate after opening.  

Into the bath with you!

And out waiting for the pings of the tops sealing!

Time to make it Chicago!!!  When you open the jars, add 1/4-1/2 cup of olive or vegetable oil per jar (adjust for serving size), and put on your Italian Beef!

Homemade Pasta Sauce!

 
Homemade Tomato Sauce!

It's late August, and the tomatoes taste AMAZING!!!!

Jar that goodness up!!!!

I mean seriously right now!!!   Pick from your garden or buy from your local farm and JAR it now!!!

Anyone with tomatoes, a jar and a pan can water-bath can.  

Disclaimer....  water bath canning needs acid and salt.  Don't mess with recipes unless you know your stuff.  Botulism is real.  

Here's my jars with 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid and a basil leaf per pint.

The tomatoes and spices cooking down.  

The beautiful tomatoes.

My amazing labor!!!

Recipe

I quadrupled it!

Makes about 5- 32 oz jars of sauce.  

10 pounds of fresh tomatoes
  1 cup good Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
  One yellow Onion
  One head of garlic
  1 bunch fresh basil
  1 bunch fresh Oregano
  1 sprig of fresh Rosemary
  Kosher salt
  Fresh ground pepper
  Pepper flakes (optional)

1. Sanitize jars
2. Sprinkle the garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper, then wrap in aluminum foil and roast the garlic in the oven at 375 for 30-45 minutes
3. Boil a large pot of water and put tomatoes in in batches until the skins burst
4.  Put the tomatoes in a bowl and let them cool
5. Peel and clean the tomatoes- if you have a good food mill our a Vitamix, this peeling is optional
6. If you have a food mill, break it out and put the tomatoes through it, if you don't have a food mill, squish the tomatoes with your hands.  This is fun and very stress reducing!!! 
7. Dice the onion 
8. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot
9. Cook the onion until soft but not quite browned
10. Put the tomato "juice" into the pot with the onion and add the garlic
11. Chop and add the herbs, reserving one basil leaf per jar
12. Cook on low for 1-2 hours until your desired consistency is achieved
13. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add pepper flakes if desired.
14. Boil a large pot of water - creating a canning water bath
15. Place either a tablespoon of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid in each jar
16. Place a basil leaf in each jar 
17. Ladle into jars and place the lids on
18. Boil the jars according to canning standards (Boil 32 oz jars for 45 minutes).  
19. Remove the jars and make sure the caps have sealed by pressing them down and making sure they don't "click" 

September Zone 7 Planting Guide

 

Dare I say it...  It is almost time...  Fall Planting.  Our last hurrah before the end of this season.  I need your recommendations with this post... So many theories and so many ideas... add yours in the comments…  here are mine!  

Direct Sow:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Swiss Chard
• Chinese Cabbage
• Peas
• Turnips
• Radishes
• Beets
• Carrots
• Plant cover crops
• Begin garlic planting
• Begin onion planting
• Begin shallot planting

Transplant:

• Cabbages
• Collards

I am still learning,  What have you planted or transplanted in September?  What's working, what isn't?  It's different for me each year.  Please share your experiences below in the comments!

Homemade Dehydrated Green Nutritional Powder

 Homemade Green Nutritional Powder

If you ever feel like you need a nutritional boost, but don't want to spend the high prices for green powder, make your own!

I LOVE THESE POWDERS!  I add them to protein shakes, sauces and baked goods.  I'll pour a little over my yogurt for a boost.  I'll even shake them with water in a mason far if I feel like I need some green goodness.  

You can use any green edible leaves, fruit, vegetables.  I like to use spinach, kale, lettuce, mulberry leaves, dandelion greens, squash leaves.

I often use any leftover greens growing in the garden that may have gotten bitter or that I have excess of.   During the dehydrating process, the bitterness seems to go away.  You can also use store bought greens when they are on sale or when you won't use your entire supply.  In this example, I am using organic store bought spinach.  

Required equipment:

- dehydrator or oven

- blender (I use my cheapy just fine)

- air tight jars for storage

First, place your washed, dried greens on the dehydrator trays.  I pack them in pretty good but not to dense.  They will shrink significantly as they dry.

If you are using the oven, place the greens on trays and set the oven to your lowest setting and keep a close eye on the greens.  They will be done much more quickly.  Some people like to just use the oven light to dehydrate and leave them for longer periods of time.

Next, set your dehydrator between 105 - 115 degrees for "raw" green powder.  Some folks recommend dehydrating at higher temperatures (over 145 degrees) to kill bacteria and for faster results.    Higher temperatures will dehydrate the greens faster, but will kill a lot of the healthy enzymes.  Make your choice based on your situation and goals.  

For 115 degrees, dehydrate for 8-10 hours

For 145 degrees, dehydrate for 4-6 hours

Make sure the leaves are super crunchy and not at all damp when they are done.

Place them all in the blender, and blend on high until they are a fine powder.  This may take a few minutes if you have a mere mortal blender like I do.  

Once you have a fine powder, spread the the powder out on a fruit leather tray or wax paper on put back in the dehydrator for another hour or two at 115 degrees.  This will remove any remaining moisture that might have been added during the blending process or were still in the leaves.

Next, place the powder into an air tight glass jar.  I use a piece of wax paper to transfer the powder onto then funnel it into the jar.  

The powder should last 6 months to a year in a dark cool location.

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!!!!

Lavender Mulberry Jam

 

If you have a mulberry tree or access to one, you know!  They are plentiful, sweet, and amazing!!!  

This was my first year experiencing the wonderfulness of mulberries!!!  I have been reading about how they are a SUPERFOOD!!!  We moved into a two acre home with five beautiful mature mulberry trees.  Being an avid gardener and having gardener friends, we also grow/have access to a lot of lavender.  I am growing lemons, but being in Zone 7, and attempting indoor cultivation, we had to purchase lemons.  

But the Honey....  The honey is from our wonderful honeybees!  Honeybees are easier to keep than you would think.  They do require some maintenance to keep them healthy, but if you garden and are allowed, please consider keeping bees!  They are amazing and will reward you beyond what you would expect!  We have had up to six hives at a time...  at the moment my day job has been a tad more demanding than most, so I only have one hive.   

Harvesting mulberries takes a bit of skill...  more like tricks of the trade...  they grow like blackberries but up in a tall tree.  

I put down a frost row cover (could also be an old sheet or a tarp).

Then I use a bird feeder stand to shake the tree up high.  

And then we get the goodies!  These are purple and white mulberries!

You wash them/soak them in water prior to using them.  There are little stems, they are edible.  You can either strain them or grind them up.

Here's my recipe:

4 cups Mulberries washed (stemmed if you choose)
1 cup honey
4 lavender sprigs
Juice of one lemon

1.  (Optional) Put the mulberries, honey and lavender together in a pot at room temperature for several hours until the mulberries start to loose their juices.  Don't add the lemon yet.    

2.  Bring the mixture to a low boil for approximately 20 - 30 minutes.

3.  Add the lemon juice.  

4.  Use a hand blender or strain the mixture through a sieve.  This will either blend in the stems and some of the seeds or strain them out.

5.  Place the mixture into bottles.  If you will use within the next month or so, place in the fridge.  If you want to save it, can according to recommended canning practices.