 |
| Jarring up fermented autumn harvest goodness at the peak of seasonal flavor |
Giardinera
is a time treasured, classic Italian autumn harvest pickle. It can be fermented or not as you
wish. While fermented the
giardinera takes a little longer and requires a bit more effort, we are coming
full circle in our awareness that fermented foods offer health benefits that keep
us younger and more vibrant, as we nurture our bodies w/ those health giving
natural probiotics. Use any crunchy veggies you find in your autumn garden or
farmers market. Organic is the way
to go. But many farmers now are
mostly organic and have their own ideas when it comes to natural farming. Ask questions, get to know your farmer
and draw your own conclusions.
 |
| Fine fresh produce from the Huntington Beach Farmers Market for Giardinera |
|
Amount
|
Measure
|
Ingredient
|
Prep Method
|
|
1
|
Bunch
|
Carrots
|
|
|
1
|
Head
|
Cauliflower
|
|
|
1
|
Head
|
Celery
|
|
|
4
or 5
|
Medium
|
Summer
squash
|
Variety
|
|
1
|
Medium
|
Red
onion
|
|
|
1
|
Medium
|
White
or yellow onion
|
|
|
14
|
Cloves
|
Garlic
|
About
2 heads
|
Directions:
Wash,
scrub and cut into bite sized pieces.
Divide among two large glass bowls.
To
BOTH bowls add the following. Add
the amounts below into EACH bowl:
|
¼
|
Cup
|
Preserved
lemons
|
Minced
|
|
1
|
Tablespoon
|
Sea
salt
|
Or
sea salt blends
|
|
2
|
Tablespoons
|
Italian
seasoning
|
Your
favorite blend
|
|
1
|
Teaspoon
|
Black
pepper
|
Favorite
blend
|
|
2
|
Tablespoon
|
See
blog!
|
|
|
2
|
Cups
|
Herbal
or green tea
|
Brewed
& cooled*
|
|
2
|
Cups
|
Filtered
water
|
|
 |
| It's gorgeous from the get go |
This
is where it gets fun. Let’s make
variations. So into one bowl or
the other add the following:
|
1
|
Treaspoon
|
Signature
spice
|
Anise, dill, fennel, clove, pickling spice,
coriander, cumin, ETC
|
|
1
|
Cup
|
Favorite
vinegar
|
Red wine, champagne, sherry, apple cider, ETC
|
|
3
to 8
|
Sprigs
|
Fresh
herbs
|
Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, pineapple
sage, ETC
|
|
1
|
Tablespoon
|
Miso
|
White, red, dashi, hatcho, ETC
|
 |
| Time to add spices and more flavors |
Add
everything into the two bowls, dividing all the ingredients up as noted
above. Place a plate on top of the
mixture and then put some weights on the plate. I like to use smaller glass bowls rather than metal cans, as
the brine may creep up and glass is inert.
 |
| Let the fermentation begin |
Cover w/ a tea towel.
Check and stir the mix after one hour. The vegetables will begin to release their water into the
salty brine. Cover again and check
after 4 or 5 hours. Stir
well.
 |
| So many good things happen in the dark |
At this point all the
vegetables should be submerged by the liquid released and the weighted
plate. If they are not, add a bit
more filtered water to insure that all the vegetables are submerged and covered
by the brine. Cover well w/ tea
towels and let ferment in a cool place for 3 days.
 |
| Those veggies are full of water. Save any extra liquid and use it to cook rice, grains, spuds & soup |
Transfer to clean and sterilized glass jars. This is a good time to add HOT chilis to some of the jars if you are a spicy beast. Let ferment in a cool place, out of
direct sunlight for 3 more days.
Invert the jars twice daily to bathe the giardinera vegetables in the
brine. Transfer to the
fridge. They are ready to use
immediately, and flavor improves as they continue to ferment in the fridge for
up to 3 months.
 |
| Clean and organized. It's time to jar up the goodness. Of course, we're adding HOT chili goodness |
*NOTE:
On herbal and green tea. I use a
mixture of herbs such as lemon verbena, lemongrass, pineapple sage, mint, lemon
balm, African purple basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and citrus peels from the
garden w/ green tea or my favorite genmai cha (Japanese toasted brown rice
green tea). Brew it so that it’s
flavorful and slightly stronger than you’d like to drink it by the cup.
Eating
Healthy & Delicious is a Win Win Win Situation!
Eat, Live
& Party Well
Blog post
by Chef Mark Cleveland
Avanti is
the longstanding leader in organic, sustainable, local, flavorful cuisine in
Orange County, CA.
Meaning 'forward'
in Italian, Avanti Natural is a culinary philosophy that integrates the best of
traditional European and Asian healthful eating with the latest nutritional
information for optimum health.
At Avanti
Natural, we believe that you don't have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy. You can Eat Well & Live Well. Follow us on social media to see what
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