Have a Ball: Sharing Jars Giveaway

I’m sharing some Ball Jar Love with a little giveaway! I found these Ball® Sharing Regular Mouth Pint Mason Jars. They’re new for 2017 and available exclusively at The Fresh Preserving Store.

  A purchase of a set of 4 Ball^® Sharing Regular Mouth Pint Mason Jars benefits Feeding America – the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. For every package of Sharing Jars purchased, Newell Brands will donate 4 meals. A great reason to buy a set of jars and share some Ball Jar Love!

Sharing Jars are in a new modern shape, made in USA with the same standards as the traditional Ball Jars, for canning and gifting.

With Mardi Gras a couple of weeks away, I found a recipe for Homemade Italian Giardiniera.

If you’re not familiar with Giardinera, (pronounced Jar-dih-NAIR-ah)  it’s Italian and means ‘from the garden’. It’s a pickled vegetable medley that usually includes cauliflower, carrot, celery or fennel, and hot or sweet peppers.  It’s generally used as a condiment on sandwiches or served on antipasto platters. You can make it mild or hot according to your taste and heat tolerance. In Chicago, it’s usually hot and enjoyed as a topping on Italian beef sandwiches. In the South, a milder version of giardiniera is used for the olive salad in the muffuletta sandwich in New Orleans.

You can find Giardinera in the grocery store near the olives or pickles, but it’s easy to make in advance. It’s brined overnight and then marinates for 48 hours. This recipe makes approximately 2 quarts (4 pint jars) so there is plenty to share and will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. You can also make a smaller batch, vary the vegetables, adding more or less of your favorites, cutting them larger for antipasto or smaller to use as a condiment or relish.

Homemade Giardiniera, recipe adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

2 green bell peppers, diced (I used 1)

2 red bell peppers, diced (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)

4 – 8 fresh serrano peppers, sliced, depending on desired heat level

1 celery stalk, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 /2 cup cauliflower florets (I used 1 cup)

1/2 cup pickling or kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. dried oregano (I used Italian seasoning)

1 (5 oz.) jar pimiento stuffed green olives, drained and chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup olive or canola oil (I used extra light olive oil)

Directions:

Place the peppers, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower in a large bowl. Mix salt with 2 cups cold water, stirring until dissolved. Pour salt water in bowl over vegetables and top off with additional cold water until vegetables are covered; stir. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain water and rinse vegetables thoroughly to remove excess salt. Whisk together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper, oil and vinegar. Combine rinsed vegetables with chopped olives in non-reactive bowl and pour vinegar/oil mixture over and cover. Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture into jars with seasoned oil/vinegar. Sealed jars will keep in refrigerator for several weeks and become more flavorful the longer it sits.

Print Recipe

Homemade Giardiniera

Enjoy this homemade Giardiniera as a condiment on sandwiches, antipasto platters, pasta salads or even pizza topping. Brined overnight and then marinated for 48 hours, this recipe makes approximately 2 quarts, so there is plenty to share and will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. You can make it mild or hot according to your taste and heat tolerance. In Chicago, it’s usually hot and enjoyed as a topping on Italian beef sandwiches. In the South, a milder version of giardiniera is used for the olive salad in the Muffuletta sandwich in New Orleans.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

marinating and chill time: 2 1/2 days2 days d 8 hours hrs

Total Time2 days d 8 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Giardiniera

Servings: 2 quarts

Ingredients

• 2 green bell peppers diced (I used 1)
• 2 red bell peppers diced (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)
• 4 - 8 fresh serrano peppers sliced, depending on desired heat level
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1 medium carrot diced
• 1 small onion chopped
• ½ cup cauliflower florets I used 1 cup
• ½ cup pickling or kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano I used Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 5 oz. jar pimiento stuffed green olives, drained and chopped
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup *olive or canola oil I used extra light olive oil

Instructions

• Place peppers, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower in a large bowl. Mix the salt with 2 cups cold water, stirring until dissolved. Pour salt water in bowl, adding additional cold water until vegetables are covered; stir. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, drain water and rinse vegetables thoroughly to remove excess salt.
• Whisk together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper, oil and vinegar. Combine rinsed vegetables with chopped olives in non-reactive bowl and pour vinegar/oil mixture over and cover.
• Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture into clean jars with seasoned oil/vinegar. Jars will keep in refrigerator for several weeks.

Notes

• Enjoy this homemade Giardiniera as a condiment on sandwiches, antipasto platters, pasta salads or even pizza topping. Brined overnight and then marinated for 48 hours, this recipe makes approximately 2 quarts (4 pint jars) so there is plenty to share and will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. You can make it mild or hot according to your taste and heat tolerance. In Chicago, it’s usually hot and enjoyed as a topping on Italian beef sandwiches. In the South, a milder version of giardiniera is used for the olive salad in the Muffuletta sandwich in New Orleans.
• *Olive oil will solidify and turn cloudy when refrigerated but will liquefy again at room temperature. Use canola oil to avoid the oil solidifying.
• Adjust this vegetable/pepper medley to your taste, with more carrot and olives, adding zucchini, fennel, or sweet banana peppers. Enjoy it on a hot dog or bratwurst, in pasta salad, as a pizza topping, on a sub or muffuletta sandwich or eat it straight from the jar.
• Sealed jars will keep in refrigerator for several weeks and get more flavorful the longer it sits.

You adjust this vegetable/pepper medley how you like, with more carrot and olives, adding zucchini, fennel, or sweet banana peppers. Enjoy it on a hot dog or bratwurst, in pasta salad, as a pizza topping, on a sub or Muffuletta sandwich or eat it straight from the jar.

Giardinera is great addition to Muffaletta Pasta Salad

or Muffuletta Dip.

Either are a great way to enjoy a taste of the Big Easy inspired by the quintessential New Orleans sandwich to celebrate Mardi Gras!

I’m sharing some Ball Jar Love and giving away 2 sets of Sharing Jars.

For a chance to win, let me know by comment how you would use them. . .

For canning, crafting, storage, or flowers?

Subscribers/followers automatically get a second entry.

Subscribe by email or follow on Facebook and let me know by comment.

For a third entry, share this giveaway on Pinterest or Facebook and leave an additional comment telling me so.

(The FB sharing button is at the bottom of this post and the Pin/Save button pops up on the upper left corner of each photo.)

The winners will be chosen March 3rd.

This giveaway is open to those living in the continental US and sponsored by me.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Metamorphosis Monday