The best recipes for delicious eggplant and zucchini for the winter and the shelf life of the preparations

Autumn is the time to prepare the harvest for the winter. There are many ways to preserve fruits and vegetables: drying, freezing, canning, pickling, salting, and much more. Below, we'll discuss the best recipes for preserving zucchini and eggplant for the winter.

The intricacies of preserving zucchini and eggplant for the winter

To ensure delicious canned vegetables, there are some preparation guidelines to follow:

• Zucchini is a bland vegetable that thrives when mixed with other vegetables and herbs. Bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, celery, garlic, chili peppers, horseradish, and sour fruits are all suitable.
• For caviar, use white zucchini, and for salads and appetizers, use zucchini. They are firmer and won't fall apart during processing.

• Due to the composition of zucchini, it can only be pickled; it cannot be fermented or salted. For the marinade, it's best to use table vinegar or citric acid. Grape or apple cider vinegar, or sour berry juice, are also suitable.
• It is better to cut eggplants with a ceramic knife.
• To remove the bitterness, poke a couple of small holes in the eggplants (you can use a fork) and sprinkle them with salt. Let the vegetables sit, then rinse them.
• To prevent the flesh from darkening, place the eggplants in ice water.
• To preserve their shape, do not peel the eggplants.
• For caviar, it is recommended to chop the eggplants with a knife rather than a blender.

How to choose and prepare the main ingredients correctly

Choosing the right vegetables is crucial to ensuring a delicious preserve. When choosing zucchini, consider what you plan to cook. For appetizers, salads, and other dishes where integrity is important, it's best to choose young zucchini with thin skin and seeds. For caviar, on the other hand, you need a mature zucchini.

Choose firm, smooth-skinned eggplants, ideally small, round, and with a green, firm stem. There should be no hollows or seeds. Avoid using wrinkled or wilted eggplants. Eggplants should not be eaten raw. They must be cooked before either canning or eating.

Methods for cooking zucchini with eggplant

There are many delicious dishes made with zucchini and eggplant. Below are some basic winter appetizer recipes.

A simple recipe

Ingredients:

• zucchini and eggplants, 1 kg each;
• red tomato 0.2 kg;
• carrots 0.3 kg;
• onion 0.3 kg;
• bell pepper 200 g;
• sunflower oil;
• classic salt 3 tbsp.;
• sugar 3 tbsp;
• vinegar 9% 3 tbsp;
• peppercorns;
• garlic;
• bay leaf.

Preparation:

• Wash the vegetables.
• Peel the carrots, zucchini, and onion. Remove the seeds from the pepper.
• Cut the eggplants and zucchini (the eggplants finely), grate the carrots, chop the peppers into strips, and the onions and tomatoes into half rings.

• Place the vegetable assortment in a saucepan with heated oil.
• Season with salt. Add sugar, pepper, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer, covered, for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 5 minutes before the end, add vinegar and stir.
• Divide the salad among the jars, close them, place the lids on them, and wrap them in something warm. Once the jars have cooled, they're ready for storage.

With mushrooms

Another delicious appetizer option that can be prepared for the winter is a zucchini salad with mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• zucchini 3 kg;
• onions 500 g;
• champignons 1 kg;
• tomatoes 1 kg;
• dill 1 bunch;
• sunflower oil;
• salt 2 tbsp;
• pepper to taste;
• vinegar 200 ml.

Preparation:

1. Wash the vegetables.
2. Peel the onion and zucchini.
3. Cut the zucchini into circles, the onion into half rings, the tomatoes into pieces, and finely chop the herbs.
4. Fry the zucchini in a frying pan in hot oil.
5. Fry the mushrooms in another frying pan.
6. Next, combine both ingredients and simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour.
7. Add the onion, tomatoes, and herbs. Pour in the vinegar, add salt and spices, and simmer until tender.
8. Distribute the salad into jars and sterilize.

How and how long are the blanks stored?

To extend the shelf life of your vegetable preserves, it's recommended to sterilize the jars. After the snack is distributed among the jars, they should be sealed tightly with sterilized lids, turned upside down, wrapped, and left to cool for at least 24 hours. Only then can they be stored in a cellar, refrigerator, or other cool place.

You can leave pickled vegetables at room temperature, but then they must be consumed no later than 4-5 months after they were pickled.

If you plan to store the preparation in an apartment, you should leave it in the refrigerator for at least the first 2-3 weeks - this way the dish will absorb all the aroma of the spices and become as delicious as possible.