Pickles! They're not just for cucumbers any more!
Pickling foods has been around for hundreds of years... and for good reason... it's not hard to do, it preserves the foods so well, and pickled veggies are good for us in so many ways... our digestive systems LOVE pickles.
With my squash bounty I decided to make bread and butter squash pickles (so pretty in the jar... and so tasty!) Here's what I did...
I sliced up my squash in 1/4 inch slices... 16 cups
I sliced up 4 cups of onions (I used Vidalias, but any onions will work just fine)
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| Pay no attention to the can of pineapple behind the salt... it was used in another project! |
I measured a half cup canning and pickling salt
.
.I mixed my squash slices and onion slices in a large stock pot, and poured the half cup of salt over the mixture.
Then filled the pot with water to completely cover the veggies.
I covered the pot and let the brine and veggie mixture sit for at least 2 hours (I think mine went for 3 while I was doing other things).
After the brine soaking time, I drained the mixture thoroughly.
For the pickling syrup, I mixed in a large stock pot
...
...
4 cups white vinegar
2 cups granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons mustard seed
2 Tablespoons celery seed
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
(so good for you and adds a beautiful natural yellow color)
(so good for you and adds a beautiful natural yellow color)
I brought this mixture to a boil. Then added in my squash onion mixture (drained, remember!)
I mixed it all up thoroughly and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Then I started filling my pint canning jars
that I had washed and kept hot until I was ready for them. I filled the jars with the hot pickle mixture leaving a half inch of headspace.
that I had washed and kept hot until I was ready for them. I filled the jars with the hot pickle mixture leaving a half inch of headspace.
I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth.
Then adjusted the hot lids and rings onto the jars to a fingertip tightness.
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I love my magnetic wand gadget ... so handy to have around! |
I process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
When the processing was complete, I lifted the jars out of the water bath (with another handy gadget, 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!
) and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar!Mmmm... can't wait to have these yummy pickles with a sandwich and some chips... or with a dish of pinto beans and cornbread!
Lovely! Thanks for demonstrating this recipe!
ReplyDeleteYour site is such a help! About how many squash did you need to yield 16 cups sliced? Can i cut the sugar to 1 cup? Finally, how many pint jars did this yield?
ReplyDeleteI have a brown grocery bag full of summer squash daring me to try this recipe!
I'm just guessing here, because it's been awhile since I made these and don't exactly remember... but I'd say one medium size squash will yield 1/2 to 3/4 cup, so maybe 25-30? ~~Granny
DeleteCan i cut the sugar? Thanks for this lovely post! I am making these beauties this weekend..the art isn't dead yet! Hannah
ReplyDeleteYou can cut it a bit, sure. ~~Granny
DeleteI have a recipe for pickled squash that includes red pepper, onion, squash, apple cider vinegar, ground mustard, kosher salt, & sugar. Can I safely can this recipe?
ReplyDeleteYes, Kim, sounds yummy! ~~Granny
DeleteIn a boiling water bath canner?
DeleteYes a boiling water bath canner. ~~Granny
DeleteHi Granny:
ReplyDeleteThis recipe ROCKS! I am processing lovely yellow jars of squash pickles now. In the midst of filling jars, I thought I was running out of pickling juice. But your recipe is perfect and there was just enough juice for 6 pint jars! Thanks for sharing your expertise and teaching us younger women "what is good" (Titus 2:3) God bless you! Hannah
Hi Granny (i like writing that!):
ReplyDeleteIt's Hannah again. Have you ever canned your own fruit cocktail? My children LOVE it and the store variety is so sad and commercial looking. Any tips or suggestions? I'd love to make a mix of fresh peaches, fresh white grapes, real fresh cherries and fresh pineapple. Thanks so much for your time and expertise!
I haven't Hannah, but I think it's a great idea and since most fruits are water bath canned, there's no problem mixing them. Let me know how it turns out! ~~Granny
DeleteHello from Germany,
ReplyDeletethis is just what i was looking for !!!!
greetings from
Petra
Hi Granny! I got a big bag of fresh crook neck squash and I am about to try your recipe!! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteVictoria
my mother n law canned this but seems she had some cucumbers in hers also...She has passed and now I wish I had the recipe it was awsome!!!! Thanks this is the closet thing to it that I have found... :)
ReplyDeleteI have a challenge. I would like to recreate the chayote bread & butter pickles my neighbor remembers his sister making. Each year he produces a beautiful abundant crop of this squash on attractive vines. I am totally unfamiliar with chayote I:ve successfully cooked and processed fruit and berry jams for years, but I'm new to pickling. I haven't found a recipe specific. Can you help me? Will peeking or blanching be necessary?
ReplyDeleteAmy
You can follow the above recipe and simply substitute the chayotes for the yellow squash. ~~Granny
DeleteThank you for a wonderful recipe. Made a batch tonight, added a cayenne pepper for a little extra kick, but the instructions were spot on.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first EVER canning attempt(and I won't tell you how old I am). I added the red bell pepper and zucchini. When I printed the recipe off I failed to get the hot water bath step and just sealed them and set them on cooling rack to cool. Heard the last pop from the bedroom around 1:30 AM. Is that OK or the hot bath necessary?
ReplyDeleteI saw this when I tried this recipe and I was looking at some other recipes for pickling and according to those recipes if you don't do the hot bath then they are not shelf worthy and should be put in the fridge. Wish I had come across this sooner so I could have responded faster. I would hate for you to get sick eating your pickles.
Deleteloved how easy this was i was always scared of pickling for what ever reason and thought oh this is going to be a pain but it was SO EASY! i will use this recipe from now on. i love pickled squash! i came across another recipe and it said to let pickles rest for a week so i'm going to let these rest for a week before i try them no matter if it is needed or not. i've put one jar in the fridge so it will be good and cold come monday!
ReplyDeleteJust made two batches of these pickles. Can't wait till tomorrow when I get to taste them cold. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteAre they crunchy?
ReplyDeleteHi Granny, Thank you for this recipe. I'm a newbie to pickling ...was just wondering if I could cut this recipe in half and it still be ok? Thank you again for posting this!
ReplyDeleteSure, you could cut it in half. ~~Granny
DeleteIn New Zealand we don't use the hot water bath step if the pickles are done in vinegar. As long as the jars seal, then we consider them to be safe and store them outside of the fridge. I've been doing this for well over forty years with no problems.
ReplyDeleteDo you rinse the salt water off with water?
ReplyDeleteDo you rinse the sat off with Water?
ReplyDeletewill plain salt work or does it have to be pickling salt?
ReplyDeletePickling, kosher, or sea salt are best. Table salt has additives (anti-clumping agents, etc) that may cause a sediment in the bottom of your jars (won't hurt anything, just looks ugly.)~~Granny
DeleteCan you use this recipe to make cucumber bread and butter pickles as well
ReplyDeleteHi I've just finished my first attempt of canning..and was wondering about how long it take for you to hear the lids pop... I'm not very confident but they smell hood and look like your picture...i do hope and pray they'll be eatable.
ReplyDeleteThat's smell good...lol
DeleteIf I wanted to make these dill instead of bread and butter, would that be possible? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have made these with crookneck and syarburst squash and they are sooo delicious. Got adventurous tonight and decided to try this recipe with the 9lb zucchini squash that just came out of the garden. I will post how they turn out in a few days.
ReplyDeleteLove this recipe made 12 pints cant keep them around everyone loves them.
ReplyDeleteHi Granny, I can't wait to try this squash recipe. But, is it okay to substitute apple cider vinegar for the white vinegar?
ReplyDeleteBecause of the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, would it be okay to use apple cider vinegar instead of the white vinegar?
DeleteBecause of the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, would it be okay to use apple cider vinegar instead of the white vinegar?
ReplyDeleteI've been canning for a few years now. This is the first year our cucumber crop failed! Thankfully we still have jars from last year.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for someway to harvest these yellow squash I have an over abundance of! I still have vacuumed sealed frozen both breaded and unbreaded left too from last year.
I am so glad I found your recipe! Will be trying it tomorrow. I really love your step by step instructions! Wish I would have seen something like this when I first started out! I would not have been as afraid!
This is really great for first timers with your instructions!
Thanks for the effort and love you put into this!
I only wish now since I've mastered the scary pressure cooker, pickles could be done in a pressure cooker! Makes the kitchen way more cooler! Just finished 7 qts of green beans & getting ready for the next 7!
God bless you granny!!!!!!
Just made the recipe & followed exactly. Pickles are cooking now. I got 7 pints.
ReplyDelete