Pickled eggplant madness

Today is Saturday. I spent it canning eight different varieties of pickled eggplant. Eggplant isn’t even in season. This eggplant came from the grocery store.

Nothing like home canned grocery store eggplant, right? Not.

The purpose of this exercise was to try to come up with a wonderfully tart pickled eggplant recipe that would be an asset to any antipasto platter. The problem is that pickled eggplant you get at Italian restaurants is typically prepared with oil, herbs and just a splash of vinegar; a taste that can’t be replicated in a water bath canner since oil and eggplant are both low-acid. Low-acid foods require plenty of vinegar to safely preserve.

So the trick is coming up with a pickled eggplant that isn’t too vinegary, since I’m of the opinion eggplant tastes best when it’s earthy with just a hint of acid, not overly astringent.

So I spent the day playing with different types of vinegars and spices, looking for that perfect balance. I’m letting all the jars cure for a few days — allowing flavors to develop and meld — before unveiling a taste test later this week. Stay tuned.