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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Zesty Zucchini Relish


I came across a tasty sounding recipe for Zesty Zucchini Relish... "it makes a great accompaniment to bratwursts hot off the grill"... I had zucchini from the garden so I made it... here's what I did...

I shredded all the zucchini I had on hand after eating it for days and sending some to work with Mr. G for his work pals...

The recipe called for 12 cups finely chopped zucchini (I shredded it using my shredder attachment on my KitchenAid)

There wasn't quite enough...

So I shredded enough yellow squash to make 12 cups

Then I shredded

4 cups onions

I added

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

In my big stainless steel mixing bowl, I combined the squash, onions and peppers with



1/3 cup canning and pickling salt

I covered the bowl and let it sit in a (relatively) cool place (70-75 degrees) overnight (12 hours)

Next morning, I transferred the mixture to a colander and drained it.



I rinsed with cool water, and drained it again, thoroughly... using my hands to squeeze out the excess liquid...



In a large stainless steel saucepan, I combined the drained zucchini (squash) mixture with


2-1/2 cups granulated sugar


2-1/2 cups white vinegar


1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg


1 Tbsp. ground turmeric


4 Tbsp. prepared horseradish


and 1 chili pepper, including seeds, chopped (I used a jalapeno pepper since it was what I had on hand from the garden)... When cutting hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to keep your hands from being burned!

The recipe recommends using cayenne or Holland (Dutch) chili peppers if you prefer a hotter relish. If you like a milder relish, use varieties such as yellow wax or New Mexico.


I brought the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. I reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring frequently, until the liquid reduced and the mixture became the consistency of a thin commercial relish (about 45 minutes).


I ladled the hot relish into hot pint canning jars, leaving a half inch headspace.


I removed any air bubbles by running a butter knife between the inside of the jar and the contents, adding more relish if needed.


I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth.


I tightened the hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I placed the jars in my canner, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought the water to a boil and processed the jars for 15 minutes in the boiling water bath.


After processing, I removed the jars of relish using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

The recipe said it would make about 5 pint jars... I only got 4 pints with some left over, which I put in the fridge for us to eat... VERY yummy! Can't wait to try this zesty relish on hot dogs, brats... or with a big bowl of pintos!

Remember, even if you're just getting started with canning you don't need high end tungsten carbide bowls, kitchenware, utensils or anything like that. Just your basic supplies, some garden fruits and vegetables and a good recipe and you could be canning today.



For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

19 comments:

  1. Yummy, now I want pintos ;)

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  2. Sounds yummy, Can't wait to make it... Thanks

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  3. Looks delish! I made some a couple years ago very similiar to your recipe. I didn't plant zucchini this year though.

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  4. Do you think it would be ok to let the veggie mixture sit for more than 12 hours if I stored in the fridge? I have to work and wouldn't be able to can until I got home from work the next day.

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    1. Yes, it will work fine, you probably can keep in the the fridge for 24 hours or more. ~~Granny

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  5. What would the times be if you pressure canned this?

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    1. There's no need to pressure can this recipe... it is a pickled, high acid food... all that it needs is heated through thoroughly. ~~Granny

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  6. This is about the same as the zucchini salsa i make except you add some different spices and tomatoes the next day. It is really good and my kids are more apt to eat salsa.

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  7. Ahhh...was wondering what canner brand you use! My next one (third one)will be an All American...Love my old Presto...but have fits getting the gasket to seal on my Mirro ..even after replacing it....I use both canners at once most of the time...so a new one is in my future!

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  8. Granny--well it is zucchini season here in CA and silly me planted 8 plants. Now we have way more than we can use. Last year I made zuch. relish, but it was a refrigerator kind that would only last 1-2 weeks. I was wondering how I would convert this to shelf stable. I have a pressure canner--but your recipe above uses a hot water bath. This is the recipe I used. 1 LB zucchini, thinly sliced--1 med onion, thinly sliced--3 shallots, thinly sliced, 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced--1 ½ TB kosher salt--¼ C fresh dill ( 1 Tb dill weed)--½ TB mustard seed or pickling spices--¾ C cider vinegar--¾ white vinegar--⅓ -⅔ C sugar. The recipe required heating the liquids & sugar only and then pouring over the veg & spice medley that was previously measured into jars.
    Can you tell me how to make this recipe shelf stable?

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  9. Can I substitute banana peppers for all or some of the green/red peppers?

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    1. I did just that! Used some sweet yellow banana peppers, some orange banana peppers and one green pepper. Also, used a jalapeno and a habanero in place of the chili pepper. I got 11 1/2 pints - SPICY! ;) Thanks for all the recipes/guidance!

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  10. Just finished mine today and got 5 pts with a little left over. I used a lower cal. sugar so we will see how things turn out. The leftovers taste great. I had so much squash this year still getting some.
    Thanks

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  11. Just finished mine today and got 5 pts with a little left over. I used a lower cal. sugar so we will see how things turn out. The leftovers taste great. I had so much squash this year still getting some.
    Thanks

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  12. I'm making your recipe today..had one of those huge, club-size zucchinis that got too big. It worked great for making this relish!

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  13. how long is the shelf life?

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  14. can you use creamy horseradish

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  15. Best relish ever. I've made it 2 yrs in a row now and everyone I've served it to loves it. I give it as gifts, but only to people I really like!

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