Pickled Veggies
Pickling is a great way to prolong the life of
many veggies that might otherwise shrivel up in
your fridge. Feel free to venture beyond peppers
and cucumbers and experiment with a variety of
produce, such as cauliflower, green beans,
asparagus and carrots.
1 cup water
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
2 sweet bell peppers, seeded
and thinly sliced
1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
In a small saucepan, combine the water,
vinegar and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cool and
add the peppers and cucumbers. Refrigerate for
2 hours. The pickled veggies will keep in the
fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe courtesy of Dana Reinhardt
expiration date and before they turn slimy, try
tossing washed spinach or kale into the
freezer overnight, along with bananas past
their prime (remove the peels first). Whir
them in a blender with a cup or two of Greek
yogurt, along with a few other ingredients, for
a smoothie that even the pickiest eater in your
house will enjoy to the last slurp.
If you have fruit that is turning, break
out a basic dehydrator or use your oven to
make banana and apple chips, and apricot,
blueberry and strawberry fruit leathers.
Or, wash extra fruits and vegetables and
then seal with a FoodSaver and pop them in
the freezer for later use.
There will forever be leftover produce in
the average household, but knowing a few
tricks to help use it up before it goes bad will
bring more nutrition to your household, and
more savings in the bank to boot. C
Laura Bode ( laurabodedesigns@gmail.com)
is a freelance writer in Redmond, Washington.
“I love canning and
preserving and being
able to share what
I’ve created with
friends and family—
there is so much
satisfaction in it.”
—Marisa McClellan
Berry Jam
6 cups smashed blueberries,
blackberries or raspberries ( 3 quarts
whole berries; see note)
4 cups granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated
nutmeg
Two 3-ounce packets liquid pectin
Prepare a boiling water bath and three
regular-mouth 1-pint jars in preparation for
canning. Place the lids in a small saucepan,
cover them with water and simmer over very
low heat.
Combine the smashed berries and sugar
in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat
and add the lemon zest and juice, cinnamon
and nutmeg, and cook for about 15 to 20
minutes, stirring frequently, until the jam is
shiny and thick looking. Add the pectin and
return to a rolling boil for a full 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle
the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims,
apply the lids and rings, and process in a
boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes three 1-pint jars.
Note: It is important to mash your berries before combining them with sugar and
putting them in the pot. Without the juice
from inside the berries, the sugar won’t
break down as quickly and could easily
scorch before it has a chance to dissolve.
Recipe courtesy of Costco member and
cookbook author Marisa McClellan.
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Pickled veggies
on tuna burger