Growing up you couldn’t get me to eat any vegetables with the exception of corn on the cob, and I enjoyed a good salad… and by good salad I mean lettuce and cucumbers, peeled with no skin on them and Wishbone French dressing. I was beyond picky as a child and although I still am a bit picky with food, I have discovered that there are some really tasty veggies out there that I now enjoy cooking. One of the vegetables that we enjoy in our home is the brussel sprout. My husband taught me to cook these a certain way… crispy and crunchy. They aren’t burned, but they appear burned, minus the bad taste. I would remove the bottoms and the loose leaves and put them in a bowl. Then I would toss them in avocado oil and honey, and salt generously. I’d toast them right up in a hot oven (425*) until the green tones they started with turns various shades of crispiness, browns and blacks. Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze over them before serving and BOOM!! Sooooo good! We don’t like the large brussel sprouts. There is a certain variety which comes from the Netherlands that our mercantile carries. They are small, maybe the size of a nickel, and those are the ones we enjoy because they toast up so crispy and crunchy in less time with no burned taste. Much like everything else lately, I haven’t been able to find them on a consistent basis. In fact, it had been months since I saw them last. So, when I was in the mercantile the other day and saw 5 bags on the shelf in produce, I grabbed 4. Each bag contains about 2 cups of the sprouts. I don’t want to freeze them and there’s no way we can eat that many before they go bad. The only feasible solution I could think of was to can them up, especially since my canning season just started and my supplies are plentiful. I didn’t want to process them with just a water or a broth. I wanted to see what my options were, so I started searching YouTube.
I typed “canning brussel sprouts” in the YouTube search bar and sure enough, there was several options. One of the first suggestions was from a channel I subscribe to and enjoy; That 1870’s Homestead. Rachel was canning brussel sprouts in a balsamic, maple glaze. I was intrigued. The very first disclaimer I saw with it was that this is not a USDA approved recipe. This was hers, adapted from a Ball recipe for canned bruschetta. Well honest to goodness I canned up Ball’s recipe for bruschetta and I had 2 jars left on my shelves. It had a delicious taste that we all enjoyed so I could really appreciate and understand where Rachel was going with this, and I trusted it enough to give it a try. I watched her video and her process and then modified it slightly to fit my taste and needs. What I came up with was a sweet, balsamic marinade that would be perfect to store the sprouts in. If you think about it, Rachel is genius for thinking outside the original box. I knew exactly what I was going to do with them, and I had all the ingredients already in my kitchen to get going and preserve these with the flavors we love. Below is the recipe. I hope you give this a try. We’ve eaten 3 jars so far… they’re delicious. I drained them reserving the juice they were in and put them in the oven to roast. I placed the reserved liquid in a saucepan on the stove and brought to a slow rolling boil letting it reduce by half and drizzling it over the sprouts before serving. To be perfectly honest, the sauce is so delicious I’ve drizzled it over chicken and even my potatoes before. There’s no waste it’s so good! You could also simply heat them in their liquid on the stove top. Either way you will enjoy the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Before we get to the recipe, I want to point out that your liquid amounts will likely vary from my recipe depending on the amount and size of the sprouts you are processing. You may need more than I used, or you may need less. You can adapt and change the amounts by following the basic ratios I provide in the recipe. My recipe is a guide that can be modified. I played with Rachels version until it was the right balance of ingredients creating the flavor profile I wanted, swapping the maple syrup for honey instead. Through trial and error with the amounts, I finally came up with the perfect flavor profile boasting the quintessential blend and balance of sweet and tangy. You don’t have to just take my work on this… give it a try for yourself and see. And before I forget… Thank you Rachel from That 1870’s Homestead for thinking out of the box!! I owe ya one 😉 If you’d like to watch me make these you can do so on my YouTube channel by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by my homestead as I curate my handmade home one day at a time.
[recipe]
[recipe title = "Canning Balsamic Honey Brussel Sprouts" Servings= "Varies" Time= "45 minutes" Difficulty= "Easy"]
Ingredients:
4 lbs. Brussel Sprouts
4 c. Water
3 c. White Wine Vinegar
3 c. White Wine, A dry one and a decent one. Never cook anything with substandard wine. It does make a difference I find.
2.5 c. Balsamic Vinegar
2 c. Honey
Directions:
First begin by washing and preparing your jars, lids and rings. Once the jars are clean, fill them with very hot water to keep the jars warm until ready to use. Prepare you brussel sprouts by rinsing them, removing their stems and loose leaves and halving them if they are large. Be sure to inspect the cut areas for any imperfections such as brown spots and bug damage. Remove all imperfections before using them. Next, in a pot on the stove add the water, vinegar, white wine vinegar, wine and honey. Bring just to a boil and remove the pot from the heat.
Dump the water out of your jars and fill with brussels sprouts, pack down with a little firmness as they will shrink up during the short processing time. Add the hot marinade leaving a 1″ headspace with the water. De-bubble and adjust the level again if necessary. Clean the top of the rims as well as the sides of the rims with vinegar. Once clean, apply the lids and the rings using finger tight pressure only. Dump a little vinegar into the water bath and then place the jars in the preheated hot water taking care to keep the water level at least 3 inches above the jars. Put the lid on and wait for it to boil. Once it’s at an easy rolling boil, start your timer. For pints process for 10 minutes, quarts for 15 minutes.
Remove from the water bath once the processing time has ended. Leave overnight to cool. Check your seals in the morning. Remove the rings from the sealed jars and store on your pantry shelves. Any jars that didn’t seal can either be reprocessed or you can use them up. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
[/recipe]
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