Giardiniera Pickles Recipe

By Tammy Kimbler   –   Mother Earth News

Giardiniera Pickles

Giardiniera comes from the word giardino, or garden in Italian, and is literally a garden pickle. The vegetable combination is very flexible, but the flavor profile usually includes at least hot and sweet peppers. This pickle is meant to be made from what you have on hand. I love giardiniera chopped up on sandwiches, tossed in pasta salads and eaten along side a nice grilled steak.

Gather up what you have left in the garden, from your neighbors or from your local farmers market, and pickle the best of it before it’s all gone.

Mixed Vegetable Giardiniera Pickle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts mixed chopped vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, kohlrabi, cauliflower, sweet peppers, hot peppers, carrots, celery, onions, yellow beets, radishes, green tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
• 1/2 cup salt
• 4 cloves garlic quartered
• 4 hot chiles, halved
• 1 bunch fresh oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Cut vegetables into chunks, slices or planks, just so that everything is similarly sized.  Leave green cherry tomatoes, small onions/beets/radishes whole.

2. In a large bowl combine all the vegetables and 1/2 cup salt.  Cover with water. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to sit on the countertop overnight.

3. The next day, drain the vegetables and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

4. Prepare your water bath canner.  Place 4-5 pint jars in the water bath to warm.

5. Bring the vinegar and water to a simmer in a separate pot.  Into the hot jars, divide the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, celery seed and peppercorns.

6. Pack the vegetables into the jars, then pour over the vinegar solution.

7. Add the lids and process the pints for 10 minutes.

8. To serve, dress the pickles with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, course salt and freshly ground pepper.

Yield 4-5 pints

Tammy Kimbler is the blogger of One tomato, two tomato. A cultivator at heart, Tammy’s passions lie with food, preservation, gardening and connecting to her local community through blogging and urban agriculture. She eats well and love to feed others as often as possible. She currently resides with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.