Canned Goods
Canning is a way of preserving your fruits and vegetables after the year’s harvest.  This is a folkloric activity that has been performed for generations, and is thought to be a lost art. Our family tradition originally began in Sweden where my great-great grandmother canned out of necessity and then brought her techniques to America. The secret recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and now my mother has passed them on to me. These delicious jars full of tomato chunks, tomato juice, pickles, green beans, salsa, beets and jams make wonderful gifts and are always appreciated.
Growing up, the month of August was always the prime canning time for my mother, and this year I joined in on the fun in hopes of keeping the family tradition alive. I was given a pressure canner and several boxes of jars from my aunt last fall, and looked forward to putting them to use this year.
This season, my mother and I have canned tomato chunks, which makes a great base for chili or vegetable soup, as well as V-12 tomato juice, which makes a flavorful tomato sauce or the perfect bloody mary cocktail.  The tomato juice is wonderful by itself. My grandfather drank a glass of tomato juice that my grandmother made every morning for 51 years! All the items used to make these delicious canned goods are grown in our gardens.  Store bought canned products are convenient, however the taste does not compare!
We look forward to preserving more items each weekend throughout the rest of the season.  I relish the time spent with my mother, learning directly from her and look forward to sharing our folkloric tradition with my children some day. Although I can not share the secret recipe with you just yet (it may be released some day in my cookbook), I will share several recipes throughout the fall/winter months using these products.
Fresh Veggie Fettuccine
Fresh Veggie Fettuccine with Marinara
Can a fettuccine dish really be made without using pasta? The Midwest Vegetarian thinks so! This is a fresh, healthy, and light spin on an Italian comfort food. The best part is the veggies are served raw, saving you more time to spend with your loved ones rather than in the kitchen slaving over a hot oven.
Fresh Veggie Fettuccine:
Directions:
Wash all veggies. Cut the ends off the zucchini and squash. Using a potato peeler, thinly slice both veggies length wise creating long/wide noodle like pieces. Do the same with the carrots, creating long pieces. Take the bell pepper, cut in half and clean out seeds and membrane. Slice bell pepper into thin julienne style pieces. Stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them up. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut the basil leaves into thin strips.
In a sauce pan over medium, heat the marinara sauce until hot but not boiling. Ladle the sauce into 4 individual bowls. Top the sauce with the raw veggie “noodles”. Sprinkle with grated cheese (leave off for vegan diners) and basil strips. Enjoy!
Yield: 4
*items from Midwest Vegetarian garden
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