GIARDINIERA Garden In A Jar

Giardiniera a Garden in a Jar 

Most American knows the Italian immigrates taught us how to eat;) This post is brought to you by my daily love of fermented foods as        Original Medicine would have us consume GIARDINIERA. And no, it’s not just the Chicago thing for this Chicago girl. Italian, Giardiniera  is also called sottaceti. Sottaceti translates             to ‘under vinegar,’ which is the commonly used term for pickling foods.

I grew up with a Chicago version that ended up on our famous Italian beef or Sausage sandwiches. Whether you buy your Italian beef on a street cart or in your kitchen it is topped with Chicago’s Giardiniera. This condiment relish has been a go to in my hOMe. We were raising a family of four, on a musicians budget. Needless to say,  I have been known not to waste a single drop in my kitchen. That includes the vast vats of pickles bought for my children Ross and Rosey and their sport teams. We didn’t just eat the pickles. Some of us drink the juice while mama cooked with pickled juice in such things like potato salad. But in a pinch, I’ve been known to throw my blanched summer vegetables in the leftover pickling juices for quick pickled veggies and even eggs. 

WHAT IS GIARDINIERA? Giardiniera means “from the garden” in Italian. This concept credited here has long history in Italy. Though in my writing the point is often made that all of humanity depended upon fermented foods across the lands and culture. It was the way of the land before we plunged into refrigerators and lost this valuable nutrient based daily biome or Probiotics or Flora!

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, garden and pantry! Fresh vegetables and herbs and spices are brined and pickled in marinades as a way of preserving it for the winter blues! You may want to double your batch for this is diversity in a jar. Use as a relish, condiment, sandwich, salad or pizza topper. My home favorite is a picnic style antipasto platter!