Posted: 10/23/2012 7:27:47 AM EDT
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I hope it's not too late in the season for this, but in case you still have some vegetables left from your harvest or want to buy some before they go completely out of season, this is a simple recipe.
Ingredients: - One big eggplant (or two small ones) - 1/2 of a big onion (or a medium one) - 1 big or medium tomato - a few cloves of garlic - spices (salt, pepper, basil, oregano) - olive oil Obviously, you may adjust the above ingredients to suit your taste. Preparation and cooking instructions: 1) chop eggplant into cubes and add to pan 2) add a generous amount of olive oil (the eggplant will absorb it like a sponge) and turn the heat to low-medium (4/10) 3) slice the onions 4) stir the eggplant and add olive oil if the pan is dry or the eggplant is sticking 5) chop the tomatoes into cubes 6) add onions and tomatoes and add olive oil if the pan is dry or the eggplant is sticking 7) chop garlic, but not too small so it doesn't melt completely 8) stir ingredients in the pan and add garlic and spices 9) stir a couple more times as needed and it should be ready in a couple of minutes Notes: - Because these vegetables are so juicy and because you are cooking in a low-medium heat, you should not see any oil jumping or end up with an oily mess. - I probably add olive oil three or four times because it is absorbed so quickly by the eggplant, but by the time you add tomatoes and onions, nothing should stick to the pan. Canning instructions (***the method below has been working for me so far, but please read Harvster's posts below and consider a safer method before proceeding***): 1) fill jar(s) (one tall jar or two short ones) and ensure to allow some headspace 2) place lids and tighten them gently with the least amount of force possible (there should be another 1/2 rotation for a hermetic seal) 3) place jars in a pot with water (water level should be up to approximately the neck of the jar) 4) place pot over medium heat 5) when the water comes to a boil, start a timer for 10-15 minutes 6) pull jars out 7) tighten lids 8) the lids should pop in within the 10-15 minutes as the jars cool, but if they don't pop within 30 minutes, repeat steps 2-7 You can use these in the winter when storebought vegetables have generally less taste than your homegrown ones or the ones you bought in season. One short jar (tall one for a big family) will make a quick dinner when added to pasta. I have used them up a a year later without a problem, but I'm sure they would last even longer. |
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If you are only doing a short water bath canning, then the food being canned needs a lot of acid to keep botulism from growing. Many fruits have high acid levels so things like canned peaches only need boiling water to kill the normal pathogens. Things like eggplant and greenbeans etc are low acid foods and require the use of a pressure canner to get the temp high enough to ensure destruction of botulism spores. Read the information at this link http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html |
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Quoted: Thank you for the information. I will edit the original post to point this out. Foodborne botulism appears to be very rare, but scary enough, especially since it develops in anaerobic conditions. That's the thing, people can all kinds of things in various manners and many times it is OK but, for the unlucky ones, the price can be high indeed. |