It’s been an easy eggplant year: we’ve only gotten a few pounds in the CSA this season, scattered over the last several weeks. After last year’s Eggplantocalypse, I’m grateful, especially with all of the traveling I’ve done this summer (although I have some friends who will lament the loss of quarts & quarts of eggplant bacon).
Since Tai won’t eat it, and eggplant is not my favorite either, it’s a struggle to use it up when we get loads, but this year has been cake: a single batch of eggplant bacon, handed off as plane snacks to my friends Melissa & Shari before our trip to wine country; a small batch of Marisa’s pickled eggplant, this year with rosemary & flat-leaf parsley; and the latest, and probably last, eggplant preserve of the summer: eggplant & summer squash pickled in a spicy-sweet, sriracha-and-honey-spiked brine.
What’s good (or bad) for eggplant growing must go for summer squash as well; usually we are drowning in zucchini, pattypans and crookneck squashes from the CSA come August. This year, we’ve gotten just one zucchini that I can remember (a small 8-ball) and I can’t recall a single pattypan. Again, this is not a bad thing: summer squash is also on the Hub’s verboten list, and while I like it, we usually get way more than I can consume myself, hence bags & bags of frozen grated squash for zucchini bread or roasted summer vegetables, tossing some into to soups or tomato sauces, and of course, pattypan pickles.
Next week is our last CSA delivery of the season: where did the summer go? Temps are forecasted to drop into the 30’s in my area this week: maybe it’s time to pull the last of the delicate garden vegetables and whip up a batch of spicy pickles. Happy Fall!
Adapted from Pickled Eggplant by Linda Zeidrich in the Joy of Pickling.
Sriracha-Pickled Eggplant & Summer Squash
INGREDIENTS
- ¾ lb eggplant, diced to ½-inch (I used small Japanese eggplants, unpeeled; for larger varieties you may want to peel for a less bitter pickle)
- ¾ lb summer squash, halved, seeded, diced to ½-inch
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tbsp Kosher salt
METHODS
- Prepare canner, jars and lids.
- In a medium stockpot, combine eggplant, squash, vinegar, sriracha, honey and salt; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer vegetables, stirring once or twice, until just softened, about 3 minutes.
- Drain vegetables, returning brine to the stockpot: maintain brine, covered, at a low boil. Pack hot jars with vegetables, leaving a generous ½-inch headspace. Add boiling brine, bubble jars and adjust to ½-inch headspace. Wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Yields 2 pints.
OPTIONS
- I’ve made variations on Linda Z’s original, using Marisa’s adaptation, many times in the last couple of years, using basil, mint, sage, and rosemary.
- My homemade sriracha is very spicy: if using commercial sriracha, you can add more of a kick by adding another tablespoon of sriracha, cayenne pepper or red chile flakes.
- No reason that this can’t be all eggplant or all summer squash, or even a mix of end-of-garden vegetables: carrots, cauliflower, green beans, etc.
STORE
Canned, store in a cool, dark spot for up to 1 year. A single quart jar will last in the refrigerator for months.
SEASON
Summer.
localkitchenblog.com 
This looks so yummy!!
This looks amazing and sounds wonderfully spicy! I’m totally convinced that it’s most appealing together with some cheese and ciabatta, for example, would love to try that.
One can never go wrong with Sriracha! This looks delish!
It is the start of spring over here in New Zealand and I received an eggplant in our produce box this week. I think it’s going to be a hefty summer for eggplants here.
Love this, you’ve given me great ideas x
This looks so yummy I never thought of this!! 🙂 thanks for sharing
Deliciousssss 🙂
So I’m going out of town this weekend with the girls…no kids allowed! So I have a million things to do…but this is what I did! It tastes pretty awesome…thanks for the recipe!
Ah, yes: I’m quite familiar with Cancrastination. At least, at the end of it, you have lovely jars of goodness. 🙂
THis looks like a wonderful idea and eggplants are easy to grow all year here in Darwin, Northern Australia- I love the photos too!
Reblogged this on Barbaryalan's Blog and commented:
definitely gonna try this, doing our own stewed tomatoes as we speak….
Thinking about using this recipe for pickles………thoughts or concerns?
I’m not sure I understand the question, Pam: these ARE pickles.
Cucumber type pickles. I apologize I didn’t make myself more clear. Thank you.
Hi Pam,
You could use this brine to pickle cucumbers, or any other low acid vegetable.I would use cucumber slices, though, to ensure that all the brine penetrates during the short processing time (and I’m not sure that they wouldn’t get soggy – best to try out a small batch of a single pint or so and go from there).
Thanks so much!
Can I use this brine for canning okra?
Yes; the brine is safe for canning any low-acid vegetable. Make sure you slice the okra, or at least make one vertical slice down each piece, so the brine can penetrate the center if canning whole.