If there’s anything I love more than helping to save the planet, it’s having fun while doing it! Canning is a great (and fun) way to take any fruits or veggies you have in surplus and preserve it for later. It’s also a great way to eat more fruits and veggies! And while canning may not sound like your idea of #SundayFunday, if you’re anything like me, it soon will be!
When most people think of canning, they think jams and jellies. But canning can be so much more than that! Recently, my favorite method of canning has been for pickling and fermenting. Pickled veggies are a super hot trend at Farm to Table restaurants—I’ve seen picked cauliflower, green beans and carrots at a few of the local hot spots. They’re super tasty and add an extra oomph to any dish (burgers, salads, tacos, you name it!). I’ve also seen jars of pickled produce as decoration around these restaurants!
Not only are pickled produce tasty (and great décor), but when fermented, can be a great addition to our diets for some gut health! Fermented foods contain probiotics, or good bacteria, which help to facilitate with good digestion! Filling our guts with probiotics also helps to keep the bad bacteria at bay. So any way you spin it, fermented fruits and veggies are just plain GOOD—good for the planet, good for your health, and good for your tastebuds!
I made these Quick Fermented Radishes & Cucumbers and let me tell you, they’re easy to make, look beautiful, and taste great on burgers (I sometimes even eat them as a snack)!
Here are a couple of other quick recipes to get you started on your canning adventures.
Sweet-and-Sour Pickled Watermelon Rind
Happy canning and happy gut health!
