Let’s talk eggs! This time of year we find the girls are super productive. It’s like the last push as the daylight hours decrease. Just what to do with all those butt nuggets?

There are many ways of preserving eggs – dehydrating, freezing, freeze drying, water glassing. Today, though, we are exploring a more tasty option – pickling.

As you search the internet you’ll find all kinds of techniques for pickling and canning eggs for shelf stability. However, the National Center for Food Preservation doesn’t not have a shelf stable recipe. The only recipes they have are for refrigerator storage and it is not recommended to store pickled eggs at room temperature. We store our pickled eggs in the refrigerator. There they can last up to four months but they never do in our home! Let’s get started.

The Ingredients

• 1 dozen small – medium eggs
• Balsamic vinegar
• Small red onion
• Pickling salt
• Cajun seasoning

The Prep

• Jars – this is not a sterile project but of course you’ll want to clean your jars well.
• Eggs – boil eggs to your preferences. We use mix a tablespoon of baking soda in the water to make peeling easier. IT WORKS! We put aside any that are damaged while peeling. We eat those right away.
• Onion – chop or slice to your preference. Whatever you choose you’ll want to make sure the size is compact so as to not take up too much space in your jar.

Let’s Cook

Since this is a small batch we are doing things a tad differently than if we were doing a large batch. Since the brine we will be using would be hot we did warm our jars in the oven. We do this by placing just a tad bit of water on to a baking sheet and placing our jars on top into a 170° oven as it heats up. We leave them there until we are ready to use. You could just as well use your dishwasher or use hot water.

We layered our ingredients into the jars as tightly as possible. We started with the onion. After the onion, we packed those eggs in as tightly as we possibly could! Using small to medium eggs makes this much easier. Of additional benefit is that of using wide mouth jars.

After the jar is packed as tightly as possible we then poured in our balsamic vinegar to about 3/4 of the jar. Then we poured our apple cider vinegar in the remaining 1/4 of the jar. Be sure to make sure all the eggs are completely covered. At this point we did have to remove one of our eggs.

Now, using a strainer, (since these are being prepared just for our family, I used my hand) cover the jar securely and pour liquid mixture into a sauce pan. Add Pickling seasoning and Cajun seasoning (always to taste). Bring to a simmer. Pour brine over eggs. Secure with lid & ring. Allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator. If you want to seal the jar flip it upside down. The heat of the brine will seal the jar. Keep in mind it will still need to be stored int he refrigerator.

The hardest part of this recipe isn’t the cooking but THE WAITING! Wait a minimum of 2 weeks before cracking open your home pickled eggs! Trust us, it’s well worth the wait!

The Results

Our family was very adventurous in trying this recipe. I recorded video but haven’t convinced them to allow me to share it with you guys yet. It ended up being closer to 3 weeks when we tried these. Out of 5 only one family member didn’t like the flavor at all and another simply preferred a different flavor (Jalapeño Ginger) pickled eggs. The eggs do take on an ashen grey color on the outside but in the the brief time they remained in the fridge the Balsamic color didn’t reach the yolk although we think that would be quite an interesting looking egg! The Cajun seasoning flavor is there and it definitely enhanced the flavor however the heat was lost. If you are wanting a hot pickled egg we suggest perhaps adding actual peppers instead of just the seasoning.

We would love to hear from you if you try this recipe. Tag us! We would love to see your results!

“If you have tried one you’ve tried them all”, one friend recently told me about the various Eggplant Parmesan recipes out there. Let’s be real – there are so many out there and I hate to do it but I’ve got to toss this recipe in the mix! It was really THAT GOOD! No there isn’t an error in the title of this recipe it is really called Eggplant – Eggplant Parmesan. Stick around and I will tell you why.

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The Ingredients

Most of the recipes we post are adapted to what we are growing on our farm. That is where the “farm to table” comes in at. However, most, if not all, of our recipes can be easily adapted to fit what is growing on your homestead or what’s easily picked up at your local grocery store.

• Thai Eggplant
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Basil
• Almond milk (unsweetened)
• 2 eggs
• Italian bread crumbs
  • The Marinara Sauce
• Canned tomatoes (28 ounce)
• Garlic
• Onion (yellow, small)
• Diced eggplant
• Bell pepper
• Avocado oil

The Prep

• Eggplant – Rinsed eggplant with cool water and removed calyxes. Using mandolin, sliced the eggplant on setting 3 which for me produces a 3/16″ (5.6-mm) slice. My mandolin safety guard prevented me from slicing about 25% of each of the oddly shaped Thai Purple Ribbed eggplant. This may not be an issue for you if you use the more smooth, round Italian version that most of these recipes call for. I took these ends and chopped them and set a side. You’ll understand this step later.
• Garlic – Peeled, sliced, set a side.
• Bell pepper – Used one small purple bell. Sliced it lengthwise and set a side.
• Onion – Chopped coarsely and set aside

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Let’s Cook the Marinara Sauce

Now I’m not one to feel like everything needs to be homemade but in this particular dish I decided why not go for the gusto and make the marinara too! It actually wasn’t that difficult especially if you did the prep above and chopped your veggies first. I do not like waiting too much so I went ahead and preheated the oven to 400 degrees.

I put about 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a pan on medium heat. While that was heating I took the chopped eggplant, garlic, bell pepper, and onion and placed in the food processor and processed just until the veggies were at a nice diced size. That mixture was then added to the oil and sautéed for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Next I added the canned tomatoes. I added salt to taste and allowed to simmer covered on low while preparing the eggplant slices.

Making use of the eggplant ends in this marinara sauce its why we call this recipe Eggplant – Eggplant Parmesan. We have the slices as well and the diced flavor right in the sauce. The texture is a great meat fake out as well. Our daughter said to me, “Mom! Does this have meat in it?!” She said it in an alarmed tone since I don’t eat meat anymore. Gotta love those fake outs!

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Let’s Cook the Eggplant Slices

You will notice that many recipes, in fact everyone I looked at, included a step to sprinkle the eggplant with salt and allow to sit to remove some of the bitterness. This I perhaps would have done if I were using a variety that this was an issue with but it is not an issue with this Thai Purple Ribbed eggplant. As I have said many times before, it has to be the sweetest eggplant out there!

I took two eggs, about 1/4th cup of almond milk, and a dash of salt and added to a mixing bowl. In another bowl I poured our bread crumbs and let the assembly line begin! This is a great place, if you want, to get the kiddos involved to speed the process along as well as have some family fun! I simply dipped the slices into the liquid batter then dipped them into the bread crumbs. Be sure to cover both sides very well. Then I laid the well covered slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Depending on how many slices you have it may take a very large baking sheet or you may need to cook a couple of batches. I spaced the slices so they weren’t touching. Some recipes added a drizzle of olive oil over the slices right before cooking. I did not do this but wanted to throw that idea out there for those who may be interested. Next I cooked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Next time I will stop at 15 minutes as some slices got a bit crispier than I wanted. I did turn about half way through the cook time. I used about 3lbs of eggplant and of course this was too much. Since we added some salt to our egg/milk wash and since there is seasoning in the breadcrumbs these slices are very tasty eaten as is as an eggplant chip.

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Let’s Cook – Put it all Together!

The fun part is layering up the dish. I started by placing a layer of marinara at the bottom of the pan to keep the meal from sticking to the dish. I just used a metal casserole pan. The order I used to layer was sauce, eggplant slices, then mozzarella. On the top layer I added basil leaves and a few extra slices of eggplant for a beautiful look! On the top most layer I sprinkled parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella. Baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes with an additional 2 minutes or so on broil at the end to brown the cheese. After pulling from the oven I allowed it to sit five minutes then using a pizza cutter, cut slices for serving.

There you have it folks – easy as pie! We hope you enjoy making and eating this meal – from our family to yours!

COVID 19 has changed the face of the world in ways we are not fully prepared to accept. However with every generation that is just what we must do – adapt. We hope that the the case numbers lowering continues to be the trend. Until then we will continue to subscribe to the CDC’s guidelines to mask up. In addition, we are paying attention to our body’s immune systems by encouraging it to be stronger.

Enter fermented foods.

Fermented foods have been found to improve gut health and immunity. Many of us enjoy fermented foods in one way or another  – kimchi, pickles, and kombucha – all have made their way onto North American cuisine & we welcome them!

Our family just got into the world of fermented foods. I guess you could call it our COVID project. Our most exciting ferment thus far has been the most beneficial and that is the Honey Fermented Garlic. We have had several ask about how it was done since our post on social media back in August as a part of the #everybitcountschallenge. It is very simple. The most difficult part is peeling the garlic cloves! Here is what we did.

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Steps

• Peeled 2 large cloves of garlic and rinsed cloves with filtered water. Set aside.
• Always best to use local honey but feel free to use store bought honey to experiment first as we did.
• Wash your jar, ring, and lid with hot soapy water. We used one half pint jar the first time but if you go larger just peel more garlic accordingly.
• Place peeled garlic into the jar.
• Pour honey over the garlic. If you have raw honey at room temperature then this process can go a little slow as it tends to be thick. You could warm the honey slightly by allowing it to sit in hot water as you are peeling your garlic.
  • As you pour be sure to leave at least a half inch headspace in the jar. This allows room for the garlic fluids to drain out into the honey without overflowing your jar. It also allows space for the gases that result from fermentation to move around.
  • Watch the level of your honey. When it looks like you are at the half inch mark stop pouring and allow the jar to sit undisturbed for 5 – 10 minutes. This will allow the honey to settle in between the gaps of the garlic. This will push air bubbles to the top of the jar and your level will drop. Add more honey as needed and repeat the process until no more settling occurs and you have the half inch headspace. Be sure all cloves are covered with honey.
• Cover with lid and place in a dark area. We covered ours with a cloth and left on the kitchen counter. You want to put it some place where you will remember to shake and burp jar daily.

What to Expect

Fermentation is a science with many variables. Your fermentation can be effected by many of these and may not go exactly the same way as ours did. This does not mean that you are doing anything wrong. For instance if your home is a little warmer than ours was at the time this data was collected then your ferment may move through its paces quicker. Alternatively, if your home is cooler, it may go slower.

• Days 1 – 3 There was not much activity. I started to notice bubbles which is what you want to see but there were not very many.
• Days 4 – 7 Now the process is in full swing. There were many bubbles and I was concerned about overflow so I burped the jar twice a day.
• Days 8 – 16 Still plenty of bubbling and the ferment has become super fragrant. Thankfully I love the smell of garlic. Garlic cloves are changing in color which shows their absorption of the honey is taking place. The honey is also thinning which shows the liquid gold inside of the garlic cloves is infusing into the honey.
• Days 17 – 30 Bubbling begins to slow. We did our first taste test at 21 days. The garlic flavor was still pretty strong and still had quite a bite but at 30 days it was much more palatable. I found it quite delicious!
• Days 30+ You will notice the garlic cloves continue to change slightly in color. Just be sure to keep them immersed in the honey which shouldn’t be too difficult since by now they have absorbed quite a bit of it. The honey will be much thinner than when you started.
  • If at this point you absolutely love the flavor of your ferment you can halt the fermentation process by basically pasteurizing it. Pasteurizing is basically heating and then rapidly cooling your ferment. I cannot suggest this process as I have not done it. I personally like the idea of the process continuing however since I am taking some of the ferment daily it really will not last long.

Caution

Just like any home remedy you must be careful and do your due diligence and research! You may need to talk to your doctor before trying this or any fermented food. For some people fermented foods can cause headaches or even migraines. Also some research shows that garlic has some  antithrombotic properties so ones that are on blood thinners already will want to consult with their physician. I’m sure there are many other contraindications out there so PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Benefits

I’ve read up on this little concoction and there seems to be many benefits. I, however, can only address benefits that I or my family have personally experienced.

1. Decrease in blood pressure – Since May I have been on blood pressure medication. I was disappointed but it came as no surprise for me since hypertension runs on all sides of the family. Diet adjustments and exercise just were not enough for me so I had to make this step. However the dosage that I was placed on, a low dose, wasn’t enough to bring my blood pressure to a normal range. Not wanting to increase the dosage, I began to eat one honey fermented garlic clove daily and noticed and decline in my blood pressure within days! Overall decrease is about 10 mm Hg systolic and diastolic.
2. Treats cold symptoms – There have been a couple of times that the family has complained of a tickle in the throat. You know the one that you get right before you get sick. Each time I refer them to the honey fermented garlic and sometimes after one clove with a tablespoon of honey the tickle is gone! Other times a few doses have been needed.
3. Increased energy – Since I am the only one that takes it regularly I have been the only one to notice this beneficial side effect. It makes total sense! Honey is a source of quick energy and garlic helps overcome muscle fatigue – especially that related to intense activity like that a farmer may do! The two together are a great paring. Just to be clear, I am not getting Mario star power from this but I have noticed that I don’t tire as quickly during the day and that my friends is a huge accomplishment!

There you have it! There is not much to the actual process but there is lots to consider as to whether honey fermented garlic is something for you and your family. Whatever you decide we just want you and yours to have a happy, healthy Fall – from our family to yours!