Keeping it fresh
Every week the local CSA deliveries a box full of delightful farm fresh treats for us to enjoy. I may have shared in the past about it being a way to force myself into eating better. It’s not to say that I eat a ton of junk foods, but that I tend to cook for the kids and then eat whatever may be laying around leftover. Or toast. My go-to for a long time was just to eat toast.
Anyway, I’ve discovered that as much as I want to incorporate these fresh foods into our diet, I don’t always get to using some produce before it’s almost too late. Or, sadly, often times the food ends up being fed to the chickens.
This past couple of weeks, I’ve been hoping to save myself the heartache of throwing out the food by cook and prepping things ahead of time. To be honest, though, I’m not a huge fan of canning like some homesteaders are. I sort of hate canned vegetables. I don’t mind pickles and pickled fruit and veggies, but straight canned veggies…I’m not a huge fan. I’ll eat them if I need to, but I was hoping for a more delightful alternative.
This week, Eggplant was in my box and I wanted to make sure that I could use it later on. But again, not a fan of canned items. But I do love a good marinated veg. This got me to thinking, and what transpired was a great recipe for a grilled and marinated Eggplant. This is right up my alley. I love a marinated vegetable sandwich! So this is exactly how I used the eggplant. It’s now marinating nicely in my fridge, and once I’m crack it open, it’s likely not to last long.
My CSA box also included some pickling cucmbers that were already on the soft side. Not wanting to throw them to the animals, I decided that a quick pickle was the way to go.
The last few weeks I have also received some amazingly large red onions, as well. They are wonderful pickled, and used on sandwiches, or in Buddah bowls.
My hope is to find even more great recipes that can be used in place of straight canning of vegetable. I’d love to be able to break into some delicious fruits and vegetables that have been preserved for the winter months, that have some more flavor and originality to them. If anyone has some ideas, recipes, or leads I would love to hear about them!
