When your garden is producing way more zucchini than you can get used, you start searching pinterest for ideas for long term storage. Or, at least I did. This homemade canned zucchini relish is a great way to save your homegrown zucchinis for long term use!
At the beginning of summer I posted this recipe collection for 15 ways to use zucchini, and this recipe would be an excellent addition to that post.
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that you don’t need perfect zucchini to make relish. They can be those huge zucchinis that got lost in the garden, or one that’s lop-sided and won’t make a good boat.
You can use this relish on lots of different dishes. I tend to use it anywhere I have bread, such as veggie burgers, carrot dogs, or sandwiches.
Variations to the Homemade Canned Zucchini Relish recipe:
- Skip the canning: This relish will store in the fridge for about a month if you don’t want to can it. You should increase cooking time from 15 minutes to 30 mintues to make up for the lack of time in the water bath.
- Season your way: The seasonings used in relish vary greatly. Other recipes also use nutmeg, celery seed, or dry mustard powder in place of mustard seed. Double the red pepper flake or skip it all together. Up to you!
- Switch up the pepper and onion: Try sweet onion in place of the yellow. Use any kind of pepper you have and love, such as banana peppers, jalapenos, or yellow or orange bell pepper.
- 1 ½ lbs zucchini (4 cups grated or finely processed)
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 TBS pickling salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp each: mustard seed, turmeric, and red pepper flake
- Pulse the zucchini, pepper, and onion into tiny bits in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the pickling salt. Let rest at least 1 hour, or over night.
- Drain off liquid from the zucchini mixture in a colander. Add to a pot with the sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, and red pepper flake. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Transfer while hot to 4 sterilized half pint jars. Top each with a sterilized lid and ring and put into a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal.
