zucchini relish, home canning

By AuntieLo

If you are not familiar with the water bath canning method watch our water bath canning video workshop. Always make sure you are following all safety guidelines outlined by the USDA when canning anything.

True story. After the first year I made this recipe, I planted more zucchini next year, so I could make more of this relish. A great way to use even gigantic zukes (just discard the seeds if the squash is larger than a couple inches in diameter.)

This recipe comes to is from the strangely titled Ball Blue Book of Canning. (I say strange because it has hardly a speck of blue on the cover...but perhaps I'm being too literal. Nevertheless, it's a cheap, awesome collection of recipes, one I refer to every year, though my bookshelves sag with other, fancier canning books.) Please note that this recipe is written for water bath canning quantities, and assumes that the reader understands how to heat and handle the water bath canner and canning tools.

If you want a review of the basics or are just starting out, check out our Video Workshop on Water bath Canning.

Ingredients

• EQUIPMENT
• Our Must Have List of Canning Equipment & Supplies
• large bowl
• colander
• stock pot
• INGREDIENTS
• 4 cups chopped zucchini (about 6 medium or 3 large zukes)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 2 peppers)
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 2 peppers)
• 4 TBS canning salt
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp mustard seed
• 2 cups cider vinegar

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from mountainfeed.com

Preparation

Step 1

Yield: about 4 pints

1) COMBINE VEGETABLES AND SALT TO SOAK

Combine the prepared zucchini, onion, green and red peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle all the vegetables with salt, cover with cold water and let stand 2 hours at room temperature.

2) COOK YOUR RELISH

Drain and rinse your vegetables throughly. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables you soaked, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3) PACK YOUR JARS AND PROCESS

Pack the hot relish into hot regular mouth pint jars, leaving 1/2" of headspace. Remove any air bubbles with a bubble remover and screw on your lids hand tight. Process the relish for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Review our Video Workshop on Waterbath Canning if you are not familiar with this process or need a refresher.

VARIATIONS

Variations abound in the possible seasonings for this versatile relish. For safety's sake, don't change the quantities of sugar or vinegar, but feel free to tinker with the flavors.

Try chopped Jalapeno and/or chipotle peppers for a spicier kick.

Just a teaspoon of turmeric adds a vivid yellow glow to the whole batch (see photo above).

Some recipes call for Corriander and allspice as part of the mix instead of celery seed.

And for a softer texture, try grating rather than cubing the zucchini; it sticks to hamburger and hot dog buns better, though it becomes less crunchy.

Spoon this over sausages or hot dogs, or mix it into cabbage for instant, awesome coleslaw. Awesome as part of a salad, almost a dressing in itself. Makes a dern fine ingredient in tartar sauce, as well.