Canning experienced somewhat of a renaissance during the recent pandemic. Judging by the expanses of shelf space many stores continue to devote to equipment and supplies for preserving food, its popularity hasn’t waned yet. On the crowded shelves, new gadgets and fancy new jar shapes jostle the old classics.

One thing remains the same: some of the best resources for recipes and how-to information on safe food preservation are available for free at the UW Extension Learning Store. Simply download the files and save them to your computer. The publications cover freezing, pickling, and canning.

If you’re daunted by the prospect of large-scale canning projects, check out small batch preserving. Most of the resources below include recipes for projects as small as one jar and you can find more books on the subject with a simple internet or library search. 

• The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader
• The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Top & Margaret Howard
• Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McClellan
• Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman

You’ll thank yourself in January for any produce you put by now, as we enter the peak phase of summer’s bounty!

-Christi

Ingredients:

4 eggs

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Canola or vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced into ½" pieces

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 to 2 hot chili peppers, deseeded and finely chopped

2 LB firm, ripe tomatoes, cut into ¾" wedges

5 to 6 c. cooked leftover rice

2 T. soy sauce

1½ c. basil leaves, tightly packed, divided

Method:

In a bowl, whisk eggs with ½ teaspoon salt. Heat a large wok OR 12" well-seasoned cast-iron OR non-stick skillet over medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon oil; pour in beaten egg. Cook for 15 to 30 seconds, allowing the bottom to set slightly, before stirring and turning until just set. Break up the egg slightly; remove from the wok; set aside.

Return pan to high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil along with onions; stir-fry for 1 minute, until slightly softened. Add garlic and chilis; stir for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing every now and then, until tomatoes are softened; reduce heat to medium-high if it starts getting too smoky or the garlic begins to scorch.

Add rice, soy sauce and half the basil; season with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, or to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-high and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes, allowing rice to soak up tomato juices. As the liquid cooks off, rice will char (though less so if using a nonstick pan) and develop some smoky flavors.

Add egg and remaining basil; toss for 1 minute. Remove from heat, taste and correct seasonings. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Recipe source: completecomfortfoods.com

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants (about 1½ –2 LB total), quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 2" pieces

¼ c. grapeseed or other neutral oil

kosher salt

½ t. cumin seed, toasted and crushed, or ground cumin

1 cucumber (about 8 oz)

1 c. whole milk (or 2%) plain Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

juice of 1 lemon, about 3 T., divided

2 c. coarsely chopped tomato

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

1 T. white balsamic vinegar

a handful of arugula, lettuce, or other greens

flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Method:

Heat oven to 450°F. Toss eggplants with oil on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment for easy cleaning; season with salt (at least 1 t. kosher salt). Roast until eggplant pieces are deeply golden on the side touching the sheet pan, about 20 minutes or longer. Remove pan from oven, flip over each piece gently using a fork or spatula (this is just to ensure the pieces are golden and to ensure they don’t stick). Set aside.

Grate cucumber coarsely on a box grater. Set grated cucumber over a sieve to drain. (Hint: save the cucumber juice — it’s great in cocktails or simply mixed with sparkling or still water.)

In a medium bowl, stir cucumber into yogurt, along with garlic, and half the lemon juice (about 1½ T.). Add toasted ground cumin seed. Season with salt, starting with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, adding an additional ¼ teaspoon if necessary. Taste. Add more salt and lemon to taste — this should taste nicely seasoned.

Toss tomatoes with a good pinch of flaky sea salt, the tablespoon of olive oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Add greens and toss gently. Spoon yogurt mixture onto a large platter and layer eggplant on top. Top with tomato-greens mixture. Taste. Sprinkle with more salt, olive oil, or lemon if necessary.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: alexandracooks.com

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

8 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼" thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 green or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 t. dried thyme leaves

8 oz. plum tomatoes, sliced ¼" thick

2 small zucchini (8 oz.), sliced on the diagonal ¼" thick

3 T. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9" baking dish with olive oil. Spread potatoes in the dish in an even layer; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°. Uncover casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: foodandwine.com

Ingredients:

1 LB green beans, stems removed

2 5-oz cans tuna fish

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

½ c. kalamata olives, halved

7 oz tomatoes, 1" dice

1 c. canned artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

½ c. fresh basil, chopped

½ c. fresh parsley, chopped

⅓ c. extra virgin olive oil

¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

⅔ c. chopped feta (optional)

Method:

Place approximately 2 cups of ice in a large bowl and fill halfway with cold water.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 2 minutes; remove beans to ice bath. When cool, drain thoroughly.

Place green beans in a large salad bowl along with tuna, onion, olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, parsley and basil.

In a bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or transfer to an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: everylasybite.com

Ingredients:

4 c. corn (cut from about 5 ears)

1½ c. water

1½ t. salt

½ t. sugar

4 T. unsalted butter

Zest of 2 limes

1 T. fresh lime juice

½ c. cilantro, finely chopped

¼ t. cayenne pepper

Method:

Combine corn, water, salt and sugar in a 10" skillet or medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes -- until corn is tender-crisp and there are about 2 tablespoons of water left in the pan (it's fine to eyeball it; it doesn't need to be exact).

Stir in butter, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.

Make Ahead: This dish can be made up to a day ahead of time but wait to add the cilantro until right before serving.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from onceuponachef.com

Bay View: 3835 S. Logan Ave.

East Troy: Zinniker Farm, N7399 Bowers Rd.

Fontana: 4724 Border Dr.

Genesee: S46 W28754 Perren Dale Rd.

Lake Geneva: W1888 N Bloomfield Rd.

Mukwonago: 433 Fritz Way 

Oconomowoc: 826 N. Griffith Rd.

Shorewood: 4213 N. Ardmore Ave.

Whitewater: 185 N. Franklin  (5:00-7:00 p.m.)

TCG: N5105 Pinnow Road, Delavan, WI