- 1). Prepare your canning jars. Jars come in a variety of sizes, but the pint and quart sizes are preferred for canning fruits and vegetables. Make sure the rim of the jar is free of any cracks or nicks that might prevent a proper seal. The old way of preparing jars included washing and boiling them, but just a cycle through a modern dishwasher usually does the trick. Choose the sanitize option if your dishwasher has one.
- 2). Prepare your eggplant. Peel the skin and slice it into strips. Place the strips into a bowl and layer with about a half cup of salt. Transfer the slices into a colander to drain the eggplant to prevent excessive bitterness. On top of the evenly stacked slices, place a bowl or pan, using something substantial inside to weight it down. Allow the eggplant to drain for at least 45 minutes, and then, if desired, cut the slices into julienne strips after squeezing out the excess salt.
- 3). Use vinegar to marinade your eggplant. Either soak it in vinegar for a half hour, or boil it in a mixture of two parts vinegar, one part white wine. If you boil your eggplant, do so for only five minutes to avoid it breaking apart; then remove, drain and allow it to cool. If you soak your eggplant, squeeze the excess vinegar from the strips.
- 4). Mix or layer your ingredients in the canning jar. The main ingredient -- aside from your eggplant -- will be oil, and the bulk of what you use should be regular oil like sunflower or corn oil. You can use olive oil, the more heart-healthy choice, but the flavor can overpower the eggplant. What you add from there depends upon your preferences. In addition to garlic and oregano, add a little kick with spicy red peppers or crushed red pepper seeds.
- 5). Seal your jar tightly and store in a cool, dark place for at least one week. The longer it sits, the better; some recipes suggest as long as three months.
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