Home preserving is having a renaissance. Everyone, including our neighbors and friends, seems to be preserving these days and sharing their creations and the stories behind them. To extend their enjoyment of the season’s bounty in a variety of ways, some use pickling; others opt for fermenting, dehydrating, and storing in olive oil. Some replicate cherished flavors and textures; others create new ones.
One year, when our backyard plants yielded lots of tomatoes, we used the oldest preserving method. Following a recipe in a cookbook of classic dishes of Italy’s Campania region that we bought in Naples, we sun-dried much of the harvest on our roof. This process took several days, and we had to bring the tomatoes indoors every evening to prevent night-time moisture from spoiling them. We used the tasty, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes to enhance our stews, soups and salad dressings.
Recently we have been drying tomatoes using an easier method — in the oven; once they’re dehydrated, we keep them in our pantry and occasionally place a small batch in a jar in extra virgin olive oil and refrigerate it.
The main ingredients used to preserve produce so it will not spoil are salt, sugar, vinegar and oil. Safety is key; whatever the method used, it’s important to follow reliable recipes carefully.
Our preserves and pickles not only extend the life of the produce; they contribute wonderful savory and sweet flavors to our meals. Even a simple meal of cooked vegetables, a protein food and a salad becomes a special supper when accompanied by oven-dried tomato candy, garlicky pickled cauliflower or our end of season pickled fruit.
Quick Pickled Onions
Jessica Merchant, author of “Easy Everyday,” recommends these colorful, tangy pickles for tacos, salads and grain bowls. You can eat them the day you make them; they will have more flavor the following day and keep for up to a week.
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the onions in a heatproof jar.
2. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt. Turn off heat and pour mixture over onions. Let them sit at room temperature to cool.
3. Once cool, seal the jar and refrigerate.
Oven Dried Candied Tomatoes
“Although there is no sugar in this recipe, these tomatoes taste delightfully sweet once dried,” wrote Mary Shrader in “The Modern Pioneer Pantry.” They are a traditional staple because you can use them in a variety of ways: added to salads, sliced thin and added to sauteed chicken or fish dishes, or simply as a snack. Slow-drying tomatoes in the oven transforms them into a treat that’s far superior to the leathery sun-dried tomatoes commonly found in packages at grocery stores.
Yield: About 18 pieces
INGREDIENTS
9 Italian plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for storing tomatoes
1 tablespoon coarse ground sea salt (optional)
Dried oregano (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees or convection type oven or air-fryer toaster oven to 250. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack onto or above the backing sheet.
2. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise on a cutting board and cut a small V shape on either side of the stem to remove it. Scrape out the core, pulp and seeds. If using small oval tomatoes such as mini San Marzano tomatoes, you can skip this step.
3. Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on the rack, without letting them touch.
4. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and dried oregano.
5. Roast tomatoes about 2 hours or until quite soft and slightly caramelized; check often to prevent them from burning.
6. Turn the oven to its lowest setting and leave tomatoes in oven for 1 to 5 hours, depending on their size and the oven temperature, until they are shriveled around the edges but still plump.
7. Remove baking sheet and let tomatoes cool.
8. Layer tomatoes in a glass jar and fill jar with olive oil. Cap jar tightly and store in refrigerator. Oil will solidify but when you remove tomatoes, the oil clinging to them will quickly liquefy. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 6 months.
Preserved Lemons and Tangerines
A time-honored technique that remains popular is fermenting foods. It creates gut-healthy probiotics, often called “good bacteria”, and is the way that preserved lemons, dill pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi are traditionally made.
“Pickled lemons are central to our cooking and so much better homemade,” wrote Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi in Jerusalem–A Cookbook. “The preserving process will take at least four weeks, and you really do need to give the lemons this time.” This special technique softens the lemon peel and makes it edible and tasty. The lemons are popular in cooking chicken and other foods, and for salads. I also use it for tangerines from our garden.
Yield: 6 preserved lemons
INGREDIENTS
6 unwaxed lemons
6 tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 rosemary sprigs
1 large red hot pepper
Juice of 6 lemons
Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Use a jar just large enough to accommodate all the lemons snugly. To sterilize it, fill it with boiling water, leave for a minute, and then empty it. Allow it to dry out naturally without wiping it so it remains sterilized.
2. Wash lemons and cut a deep cross all the way from the top to within 3/4 inch from the base. Stuff each lemon with 1 tablespoon of the salt and place in the jar. Push lemons in tightly so they are squeezed together. Seal jar and leave in a cool spot for at least a week.
3. Remove the lid and press the lemons as hard as you can to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. Add the rosemary, hot pepper and lemon juice and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Seal the jar and leave in a cool place at least 4 weeks. The longer you leave them, the better the flavor.
End-of-Season Quick Fruit Pickles
“This is a unique way to preserve the last of the season’s fruit bounty from your kitchen garden or the farmer’s market,” wrote Mary Shrader in “The Modern Pioneer Pantry.” This method is simple, versatile, and perfect for adding a burst of flavor to your meals. Enjoy them straight from the jar, as a topping for your salads or on a charcuterie board.
Yield: 1 quart
INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup 5% acidity white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, or less to taste
1 teaspoon pickling salt
4 cups mixed fresh fruit (washed, peeled and cubed nectarines, peaches, plums and apples work best)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 vanilla bean pod, split and/or 1 star anise
DIRECTIONS
1. Wash the jar and lid in warm, soapy water. Rinse them well and set them aside to try.
2. Add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and peppercorns to a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. This is your pickling brine.
3. Pack the fruit tightly into the quart jar, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace. If desired, add a vanilla, star anise or both to the jar.
4. Using a ladle, pour the hot pickling brine over the fruit, ensuring it is fully submerged. If you need additional liquid, add equal parts vinegar and water. Leave about 1/2 inch headspace. You can use a wide-mouth funnel to help ladle in the brine.
5. Wipe jar’s rim with a clean, damp cloth and seal with the lid. Transfer the filled jar to the refrigerator. The quick-pickled fruits will be ready once cooled, about 1 hour. Store them in the refrigerator, where they will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Spicy-Garlicky Cauliflower Pickles
“We prevent these pickled cauliflower florets from becoming too squishy by cooling the brine before we pour it into the jars,” wrote Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough in “Cold Canning.” The florets need to soften a little, but not as much as in more traditional canning, which uses a water bath. “We want to preserve as much crunch as we can!” they wrote. “The brine gets murky after a bit because of the way cauliflower breaks down with salt, so you should use your nose to determine whether the pickles are still good. Be safe, not sorry.” These make a tasty accompaniment for curries, rice and salads.
Yield: About 4 cups
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds small cauliflower florets (each about 1 1/2 x 1 inch), any tough stems removed
2 fresh red jalapeño or Fresno chilis, stemmed and thinly sliced
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Divide the florets, chilis, garlic and cumin seeds between four clean 1/2-pint jars, two clean one pint jars or one clean 1 quart jar.
2. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a full boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring at first until sugar and salt dissolve. Turn off heat and set the pan off the burner. Cool for 15 minutes.
3. Fill the jars with the still warm brine, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace in each/ Cover or seal. Cool at room temperature for no more than 1 hour, then refrigerate for 3 days before enjoying.
Faye Levy is the author of the award-winning books “Faye Levy’s International Vegetable Cookbook” and “Fresh From France: Vegetable Creations.”