Canning Local

Putting your produce into production

Zucchini Relish Canning Recipe

Run! The zucchini are attacking! It certainly feels this way every summer when the summer squash starts to come in. Zucchini is easy to grow and can make any home gardener feel like a gifted tiller of the soil, but what to do with it all? You can give it away until people start avoiding you. You can feed it to your family until they beg for a merciful change of menu. And then you can make zucchini relish and can it. The following recipe I learned from my sister-in-law. This is a delicious recipe that everybody loves. Even if you don’t like relish, you’ll like this zucchini relish.

5 cups finely chopped zucchini

3 cups finely chopped celery

3 cups finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped green or red bell pepper

Add chopped vegetables to:

6 cups water

¼ cup canning/pickling salt

Place a heavy plate on top of vegetables in water to keep them submerged. Allow vegetables to sit overnight (12 to 24 hours) in brine. Then drain vegetables and squeeze excess liquid from them.

In a big pot on the stove, mix:

3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)

5 cups sugar

2 tablespoons mustard seed

2 tablespoons celery seed

1 tablespoon turmeric

Add the drained vegetables and cook at a nice even boil for 10 minutes.

Add hot mixture to sterilized ½ pint or pint Mason jars. Leave ½ headspace. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Then wipe clean jars and lids and store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months. (You will likely hear the jars pop when they seal shortly after removal from water bath. The next day test the seals by pushing on top. There should be no movement of the lid. Also gentle pressure from your fingertips on edges of lid should reveal that it is securely suctioned onto the jar.)

Note: The relish tastes good from the start, but allowing it to set for 6 weeks will deepen the flavor, which is often the case with pickled items.

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Sincerely, Tracy Falbe

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