What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)

[Smithy]

Thanks for that question and discussion, @SLB. I must admit that I'd forgotten all about marinated eggplant and that discussion from 2 years ago! That probably says something about my attention span. We loved it at the time. Maybe it's time to make more.

 

For those who wish to read the original discussion, it's summarized here (with links) and @ElainaA's detailed response about the risk of botulism is the post immediately following. The conversation continues with @Shelby chiming in again in subsequent posts.

 

For those who simply want to see the recipe, here it is: Marinated Eggplant in Epicurious (originally in Gourmet Magazine), a recipe passed down to the auther by her Italian relatives. SLB, please note that they aren't canning this, as such. It's a refrigerated preserve. I think you are correct that it's safe because the vinegar preservation step happens first. Others may disagree.

[Shelby]

34 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Thanks for that question and discussion, @SLB. I must admit that I'd forgotten all about marinated eggplant and that discussion from 2 years ago! That probably says something about my attention span. We loved it at the time. Maybe it's time to make more.

 

For those who wish to read the original discussion, it's summarized here (with links) and @ElainaA's detailed response about the risk of botulism is the post immediately following. The conversation continues with @Shelby chiming in again in subsequent posts.

 

For those who simply want to see the recipe, here it is: Marinated Eggplant in Epicurious (originally in Gourmet Magazine), a recipe passed down to the auther by her Italian relatives. SLB, please note that they aren't canning this, as such. It's a refrigerated preserve. I think you are correct that it's safe because the vinegar preservation step happens first. Others may disagree.

Don't feel bad.  

 

I had forgotten about this too. 🙃

 

Very timely.  I have a lot of eggplant to use.

[Shelby]

Canned some pickles yesterday.  I don't usually can these.....they do just fine in the fridge for quite some time, and I think that canning them makes them a tad softer.  BUT, it's always nice to have more room in the fridge.

 

I skimmed and skimmed and skimmed while the brine was simmering, but I can never get it to look clear.

 

[HungryChris]

I set this gallon of brine pickles on its journey to become half sours this morning, using @kayb's method. Looking forward to trying them out.

HC

[BeeZee]

I made a little bitty jar of refrigerator zucchini pickle chips...about 1 + 3/4 zucchini (as much as I could pack in the small jar) to see how I like them. Will probably sample tonite with dinner even though they should marinate at least 24 hours.

edit to add post meal, I did try a couple of slices and they were tasty. I had added some aleppo pepper to the brine, added a nice warmth.

Edited July 28, 2018 by BeeZee (log)

[helenjp]

Nice to see all those cucumber pickles! I usually pickle mine in 3% brine for "a few days" - but it's been so hot I'm using 5% brine and even so, the little ones were ready in 24 hours. I couldn't get my camera far enough down my husband's throat to photograph them, sorry.

[Shelby]

Was a busy canning day yesterday.

 

Tons and tons of cucumbers this year so I made a double batch of sweet dill relish.  My mother-in-law loves this stuff and I've grown to like it too.

 

Then I did 3 pints of pickled jalapenos

 

 

Dried some cherry tomatoes in the oven and then put into oil and into the fridge

 

 

Now I'm getting ready to start a new crock of pickles

 

[Shelby]

Cut up a ton of okra, let it sit in a bowl with some cornmeal for about 30 mins, then I spread it on a cookie sheet and froze it for a few hours.  VacMastered.  Will be excellent in the dead of winter.

 

[rotuts]

@shelby

 

did you ever get to VacM  some fresh corn cut off the cob ?  w a bit of butter ?

[Shelby]

Just now, rotuts said:

@shelby

 

did you ever get to VacM  some fresh corn cut off the cob ?  w a bit of butter ?

No, we ate so much of it that I didn't have any left to VM--but there is always next year  

 

I just love that machine.

[rotuts]

if you see a few ears in the Market

 

treat yourself to several and VacM it

 

you will know why in Jan during a snowStorm.

 

add a pinch of sugar w the butter if not super-sweet

 

why try this ?

 

next year you will be planting a lot more corn !

[kayb]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Cut up a ton of okra, let it sit in a bowl with some cornmeal for about 30 mins, then I spread it on a cookie sheet and froze it for a few hours.  VacMastered.  Will be excellent in the dead of winter.

 

 

I've done this, but never thought about vac-sealing it. We'd always put it in a gallon freezer bag and then dip out however much we wanted for dinner, put the rest back in the freezer. That and purple hulled peas.

 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

if you see a few ears in the Market

 

treat yourself to several and VacM it

 

you will know why in Jan during a snowStorm.

 

add a pinch of sugar w the butter if not super-sweet

 

why try this ?

 

next year you will be planting a lot more corn !

 

Do you  par boil the corn first?   I ask because one year I did freeze corn, straight off the cob, and found it tough.

[Shelby]

I par boiled mine on the cob for 5 mins and then straight into cold ice water in the sink.

[ElsieD]

6 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I par boiled mine on the cob for 5 mins and then straight into cold ice water in the sink.

 

And you froze the corn off the cob?

[rotuts]

Ive done this raw 

 

but not for a bit because of Sloth.

 

the strains were the variants that were missing a gene that converted sugar to starch

 

one been missing / type.

 

this is a decent article :

 

http://alanbishop.proboards.com/thread/4147/explanations-on-su-sh2-genes

 

of note : these ' types ' must be grown away from traditional corn

 

so that they fertilize themselves or what not.

 

if fertilized from Starchy corn , i.e. Animal Livestock Corn  they become Super starchy .

 

hope this helps.

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

 

And you froze the corn off the cob?

Yes.  

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Yes.  

 

Thanks.  I think I'll give it a go.  We love corn.

[Shelby]

On 7/8/2018 at 1:55 PM, Shelby said:

Sweet corn is ripe.  I planted a new (to me) variety this year.  I also have some Silver Queen that came up on it's own.  Anyway, the new variety is called Nirvana.  I can't believe it, but I love it more than Silver Queen.  The kernels just burst corny, sweet goodness into your mouth.  I could eat nothing but corn right now (and that's saying a lot).  Next year I have to do something about the damn earworms --Mom told me a farmer she knew used mineral oil on the silks at a very specific time during growth and that suffocated the worms/eggs.  Anyway, our corn isn't perfect, but it's SO good.  I decided to freeze it instead of pressure can it.  Easier for me and I think it tastes better.

 

Picked this morning

 

 

Shucked and blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes and then dumped into a sink full of ice water

 

 

I used the method @kayb taught me--a bundt cake pan.  Place the corn in the hole and scrape it down.  

 

 

The nekkid cobs

 

 

Bagged up and ready to freeze

 

 

Now, I'm off to clean up the random spurts of corn that are all over the kitchen and to contemplate if I want to mess with the cobs or just dump them on the garden compost pile........

 

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

 

Thanks.  I think I'll give it a go.  We love corn.

Bringing my corn post forward

 

I tried to use my FoodSaver to vacpac the corn, but that did not work.  The corn was way too juicy.  Freezer bags worked great.

[Smithy]

5 minutes ago, Shelby said:

 

Bringing my corn post forward

 

I tried to use my FoodSaver to vacpac the corn, but that did not work.  The corn was way too juicy.  Freezer bags worked great.

 

I froze the corn kernels, then vacpacked. Have you tried that sequence?

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

I froze the corn kernels, then vacpacked. Have you tried that sequence?

No.

 

That's a brilliant idea!

[SLB]

6 hours ago, kayb said:

We'd always put it in a gallon freezer bag and then dip out however much we wanted for dinner, put the rest back in the freezer.

@kayb, just confirming, they don't dry out that way (over time)?  

[kayb]

I don't remember them doing so. Of course, that was before the day of frost-free freezers. When I've done it since then, I've consumed it within two or three months, so no issues.

 

I have actually found, at WalMart of all places, okra that is frozen "naked," just cut and frozen in two-pound bags. You, can take some out, thaw it, toss it in cornmeal mix, and fry it, and it tastes dang near like fresh. Since I discovered that, I don't bother with my own any more.

 

[kayb]

A quart of fig puree, to be canned after I go to the store tomorrow and get 8-ounce jars.

 

 

And a pint of peach puree, ditto, except Photobucket seems to have eaten the photo and I don't feel like uploading it again.

 

 

[scubadoo97]

On 8/2/2018 at 1:15 PM, Shelby said:

 

Bringing my corn post forward

 

I tried to use my FoodSaver to vacpac the corn, but that did not work.  The corn was way too juicy.  Freezer bags worked great.

Yes too juicy if cooked.  I tend to freeze raw and have not had an issue doing that. Thawed it’s like fresh 

 

hope those cobs didn’t go to waste Shelby. Lots of flavor in those cobs.