Zucchini Relish
11 jars of bounty!
I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I decided to try something new with my large zucchinis I had. I researched quite a bit and kept coming up with a ton of people loving this relish. So I thought I would give it a try. I can not take credit for this recipe at all as I found this on a recipe site which you can find here: Relish And don't be turned off by the 49 hours to make! LOL It so did not take this long and was one of the easiest recipes I have made in a long time. How did it taste you ask? I will never buy pickled relish again to use for hot dogs, hamburgs or anything! Jonathan who never eats relish loved this so much he asked if I planned on making more! He gave it a 10 out of 10 and loved it on his hamburger and let me tell you he does not give a 10 away easily. It is a sweet relish and you may be able to tweak it a bit by using less sugar or even some hot peppers to add some zing. I will be playing with it a bit for the next batch and will update this then.
Ingredients:
SOAK
10 Cups shredded Zucchini
4 Sweet Red Peppers
2 - 3 Large Onions - I used vidallias
5 Tablespoons Canning salt
BRINE
3 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Turmeric
3 Cups Vinegar - I used white but cider would work too
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
Ingredients:
SOAK
10 Cups shredded Zucchini
4 Sweet Red Peppers
2 - 3 Large Onions - I used vidallias
5 Tablespoons Canning salt
BRINE
3 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Turmeric
3 Cups Vinegar - I used white but cider would work too
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
Step 1 - Shred the Veg then Soak!
Shred the vegetables
This is one of those recipes that a food processor is a must. I put the shred blade on and I had the zucchini, peppers and onions shredded and in a plastic bowl in less than 10 minutes. Mix the salt in with the vegetables cover and let sit in the refrigerator over night. The recipe didn't say to put in the refrigerator but I have fruit flies and didn't want any added extra protein :)
The next morning it is time to rinse the veg mix. I did this using a colander and rinsed 1/2 of the batch at a time. You will need to rinse it a few times to remove as much of the salt as you can. Use your hand to press the veg up against the sides of colander to remove as much of the water as possible.
The next morning it is time to rinse the veg mix. I did this using a colander and rinsed 1/2 of the batch at a time. You will need to rinse it a few times to remove as much of the salt as you can. Use your hand to press the veg up against the sides of colander to remove as much of the water as possible.
Step 2 - Add the Brine ingredients and cook
Add drained veg to pot with brine mix
In a large pot add the remaining ingredients to make the brine. Add the shredded veg and place this on the stove. Stir until all the ingredients are mixed well. Bring to a boil and cook/simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 3 - Finish cooking and Can
Cook for 30 minutes
Once you have finished cooking it is time to can your relish! Now I am not going to go over how to can as everyone has their own methods of canning. I will tell you I used 11 1/2 pint sterilized jars and processed these in a water bath for 15 minutes to finish the preservation process. All 11 jars sealed nicely and now I have a head start for my holiday gift giving!