Spicy Pickled Green Beans from Food in Jars.
We used to have a regular food swap in my town. I’d bring baguettes or jars of fresh sourdough starter and trade them for jams, baked goods and what have you. One session we had a guest: Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars. She let us taste a few of her preserved foods, all were delicious, and most of us ended up buying a copy of her book. Since then I’ve noticed many of my canny canning friends use her recipes on a regular basis.
So, I was excited to come upon the Food in Jars blog when researching tomato jam. Same great recipes and kitchen technique, but free! (Though you should still support the author by paying the very modest price for her book.) The home page is the blog which is not too active, so you should go right to the recipe tab and do a search for whatever fresh vegetable or fruit is waiting to be pickled or made into jam. Spicy Pickled Green Beans is a good place to start and the recipe can be converted to other crunchy green veggies; I’ve had it made with garlic scapes.
There’s also a solid Canning 101 section with a list of basic equipment you need, canning procedures and troubleshooting so you can put up food confidently without worries about contamination and safety issues. Right now, when the markets are bursting with the fall harvest, is a good time to check it out.
