Fermented Giardiniera: Probiotic Italian Pickled Vegetables

Choosing the Right Vegetables for Giardiniera Fermentation

• Pickled Italian Giardiniera usually includes bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower, and gherkins (tiny pickles).
• Good options for sourcing quality vegetables for fermentation are your local farmers market, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Market, and open-air produce stands. Many grocery stores have a fresh produce section; the key here is to use fresh vegetables, not packaged in plastic.
• Make sure the vegetables are crisp, hydrated, and fresh. They should be free of any mold spots.
• I used Brussels sprouts, jalapeno peppers, cauliflower, shallots, and carrots for this fermented giardiniera recipe.

Equipment You Need to Make Fermented Giardiniera

Kitchenaid Dual Platform Scale

Wide Mouth Fermentation Weights

Unrefined Sea Salt

Regular Mouth Rust Proof Mason Jar Lids

Plastic pH Test Strips (pH 0-14)

32 Oz Mason Jars

How Do You Eat Italian Giardiniera?

Traditionally in Italy, Giardiniera is served with antipasto, a first-course appetizer consisting of pickled vegetables, brined olives, artichokes, and cured meats. Giardiniera is also very popular in Chicago, where it is used more as a condiment.

Giardiniera is terrific on sandwiches, on pizza, in omelets, in frittatas, on veggie burgers, and in salads. You can even use it to top sourdough focaccia. I highly suggest mixing it with pasta, brined olives, red wine vinegar, and olive oil for a delicious pasta salad.

The Difference Between Pickling and Fermenting

Pickling and fermenting are very different processes that both result in “pickled” vegetables. Shelf-stable pickling is a sterile process for preserving food. This means there are no microorganisms involved. This process utilizes hot acidic liquid and hermetically sealed jars to sterilize and preserve vegetables. 

Fermentation is a living process that relies on acid production by beneficial microorganisms to preserve vegetables. It takes time and requires a specific salt concentration for consistency and safety. To read more about salt and fermentation, click here.

Fermented Giardiniera Conditions

• 4 weeks of fermentation
• Approximate 3.5% total salt concentration
• Room temperature (60-78° F)
• Final pH around 3.8
• Store in refrigerator after fermentation for up to 2 years

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Fermented Giardiniera: Probiotic Italian Pickled Vegetables

Giardiniera is a mix of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil in Italy, but here we used wild fermentation to create a delicious fermented Giardiniera recipe.  In Italian, it is pronounced jar-din-AIR-ah, meaning “from the garden.”

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• Prep: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 672 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 150 grams cauliflower
• 50 grams fresh peppers (any kind)
• 150 grams Brussels sprouts
• 30 grams shallots
• 50 grams carrots
• 350 grams water
• 28 grams salt

Instructions

1. Lightly rinse all your vegetables in cool water and chop them to your desired consistency.
2. Make sure all of your fermentation equipment has been cleaned well.
3. Dissolve the sea salt in the water to create a brine.
4. In a clean mason jar add all of the vegetables. (optional: add in a bay leaf)
5. Add all of the saltwater brine to the jar.
6. Place a fermentation weight in the jar to keep all of the vegetables submerged. Place the mason jar lid on the jar and secure it in place.
7. Ferment for 4 weeks at room temperature. About 2 to 3 days into fermentation, you will notice a lot of bubbles. Set the jar in a glass dish to prevent messes. Every 24 hours, loosen the lid to burp the jar and let the gas out. This particular fermentation can get very bubbly. You can rinse the lid daily before replacing it to keep it clean.
8. After 4 weeks of fermentation, remove the fermentation weight and check to make sure the pH is around 3.8
9. Then move to refrigerated storage.

Notes

• this recipe is sized to fit a 1-quart mason jar
• You can use any ratios of vegetables you want, as long as the total weight of vegetables combined is about 450 grams.
• fermented vegetables should keep for about 2 years in the fridge

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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