Giardiniera (HOT)

It is that time of the year. Harvesting the peppers. In our area, you can pick up hot peppers for a song. A basket of long hots or cherry peppers are very reasonable. We begin to make with a mixture of  vegetables a common cold bath recipe knows as Giardiniera. Borrowing from my name....Giardino (Garden in Italian), they simply are a garden brine of vegetables. I love this as a topping to crackers and cheese. You will also.

Ingredients

Cauliflower

Peppers (Cherry, Long Hot)

Carrots

Onion

Celery

Garlic Cloves

Italian Mix of Parsley and Oregano

2 cups White Vinegar

1 cup Oil (Olive or Vegetable)

Pickling Salt (2 tsp)

Cracked Pepper (1tsp)

Canning Jars

Slice and dice the vegetables to your liking. I prefer cuts that I can top on a cracker as a measurement guide. Rinse and soak in water over night with some pickling salt. Rinse in the morning and set aside.

At the bottom of your jars add the seasonings on the bottom. Next, add the vegetables just shy of the rim. Add a mixture of 2/3rds vinegar and 1/3 oil. Seal and set in the back of your refrigerator. Within 24hrs you have Giardiniera. Experiment with your recipe. You can make regular Giardiniera without hot peppers. Enjoy!

Refrigerator Pickles - Sweet

In our next series of pickling, we present a recipe for sweet pickles. Easy to make, and we believe much better than store bought pickles.

Ingredients

Cucumbers (3-5) - Sliced thin or thick or a mix

Red Onion Sliced Thin (One Onion

Mix of Apple Side Vinegar and Water (Even Amounts)

Canning Salt (2 tablespoons)

1 3/4 cup of sugar.

1 tsp. Tumeric

1 tsp. Cloves Crushed or 2 -3 whole cloves

2-3 Garlic Cloves Thinly Sliced

1 tsp of Celery Seeds

1 tsp of Mustard Seeds (Optional)

Place the Cucumbers and Onions in your container in Layers. Ensure even distribution.

Add the brine first, and then the salt and sugar. Shake or Stir. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir one more time. Refrigerate and serve in a few hours.

Refrigerator Pickles Dill

Refrigerator pickles are easy to make and there are so many varieties to choose from. My kids and I make small batches and experiment with recipes. (As with everything we cook) Here is a simple recipe to get you started. Dill are the easiest to make in my opinion.

Ingredients

Thinly sliced cucumbers or pickling cukes or any way you like your pickles

Pickling/Canning salt - (1-2 tablespoons)

Apple Cider Vinegar/Water mix (Half and Half)

2-3 cloves of Garlic

Fresh Dill Sprigs

Slice or cut your cucumbers to your liking. (You can try to salt them and refrigerate for a couple of hours to get them crisper. Be sure to rinsed before adding to the brine)

In your container, place the dill at the bottom and add the cucumbers on top. Now add the canning salt and water vinegar mixture to ensure the salt is diluted. Add a few cloves of garlic and seal. No canning necessary. You will eat them before they expire. Amazingly simple and tasty.

Cabbage and Kale Omelet

Here is an omelet that is healthy for you and the kids. Hearty, and bold with flavor, cabbage and kale really change the omelet's taste and texture. This is also very easy to make. (If you can purchase the Omelet pan from Greenware, I highly recommend it.)

Ingredients

2-3 eggs scrambled

Finely chopped kale and cabbage

(Extra) Finely chopped carrot.

1 small diced yellow pepper

Garlic (Crushed)

Cracked Salt

Cracked Pepper

Coconut oil

On a medium heat, cook of the ingredients in a bout 1 tsp of coconut oil. After about 4-5 minutes the Kale and Cabbage should be tender. In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs with 1/4 cup of milk. Add the mixture into the cabbage. After 2 mins, flip the omelet over to the other side. Wait another few minutes and empty into your cooking plate. That's it! Rich in nutrients and flavor, eat and be happy.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Tomato Cucumber Salad is a great summer time treat. Refreshing and light, it is a nice break from salad greens. You can eat them all year round, however a fresh cucumber with garden tomatoes is hard to beat.

Ingredients

Tomatoes (Small, large, or multiple blends of cherry)

Paper thin tomato slices

Oregano

Parsley

Crushed Sea Salt
Crushed Pepper/Garlic Seasoning
Cracked Pepper
Red Wine Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh minced/sliced garlic

Cut the tomatoes in smaller slices. Romas can be sliced, larger tomatoes quartered, or cherry tomatoes cut in half. You want to have a hearty slice of tomato. Do not dice. You will however dice the paper thin cucumbers. You want them to stick to the tomato brine once finished. Add the rest of the ingredients, and be sure to immerse everything repeatedly with a spoon. You was the flavors to immerse themselves from top to bottom. Cover and refrigerate for about 1-2 hrs before serving. This allows the flavors to soak in the tomatoes and cucumber.

I serve mine with toasted sunflower seed bread. Sooo Good!

Cold Bath - Cherry Peppers

I am going to provide a few cold bath recipes for our readers to enjoy. First, let me explain a cold bath. Most people can their vegetables for the winter. (Warm Bath) A cold bath is an easy alternative to warm bath vegetables. The shelf life is considerably less, however if you eat what you can, you should be just fine.

Basic cold baths consist of vinegar (Apple or White) and Canning Salt. The brine will keep vegetables fresh and crisp for months as long as they are refrigerated. I am conservative, and only recommend a month for storage, however I have relatives that have eaten cold bath cherry peppers that are a year old, and swear that they taste as fresh as the day they canned them.

Ingredients

Cherry peppers sliced

Apple Cider Vinegar

Canning Salt.

(Garlic Diced For Flavor)

You will poor the apple cider vinegar inside a small canning jar. (Or larger if you like)

Next, you will add a few teaspoons of canning salt.

With some saran wrap, cover the jar and then place the seal and lid. Tighten and place in the refrigerator. I love cherry peppers on a deli sandwich and have gone crazy over the years. They rarely last. They are also a great addition to chicken riggies.

I will provide further pickling recipes that include oil and seasonings in future posts.