Easy and Nutritious Fermented Giardiniera

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. For this recipe, we developed a spicy, pleasantly sour preserved vegetable mix, made even more nutritious through fermentation. By the way, in Italian, it is pronounced jar-din-AIR-ah, and it literally means “from the garden.”

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-aired 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.
• For this recipe I used yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, jalapeno, shallots and carrots.

Equipment You Need to Make Fermented Giardiniera

Here’s all the supplies and equipment you will need to make this recipe:

• 32 ounce Wide Mouth Mason Jar
• Fermentation Weight
• Standard Metal Mason Jar Lid (this can rust in the presence of salt)
• OR Rust Free Plastic Lid
• or you can use a Weck Jar (without the gasket; only use the clips to secure the lid)
• Sea Salt
• Scale
• Mixing Bowl 

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 wonderful 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 in 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. Pickling is a sterile process for preserving food. This means there are no microorganisms involved in the pickling process. This process utilizes hot acidic liquid to sterilize and preserve vegetables. 

Fermentation is a living process, relying on acid production by beneficial microorganisms. Fermentation 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 3.0% total salt concentration
• Room temperature (60-78° F)
• Final pH around 3.8
• Store in refrigerator after fermentation for up to 2 years

More Fermentation Recipes to Try

• How to Make the Healthiest Naturally Fermented Garlic
• Simple Wild Fermented Shallots Recipe
• How to Ferment Sauerkraut with Orange, Sesame, and Ginger

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