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.