Canning zucchini couldn't be any easier! These delicious sweet zucchini pickles are great to serve on bread or as a side dish.
I grew up on pickles - lots of pickles. If you had asked me when I was about eight if I'd rather have chocolate, a pickled green tomato, or a gherkin, I would have chosen the pickles, always!
I don't make as many pickles as my grandmother used to make in her time. But I still eat them so happily, and there isn't one summer or autumn gone by without me trying to preserve some of the summer produce in one way or another.
This year was the horseradish in vinegar, the green tomatoes, and these sweet zucchini pickles. Or I should say, these were the savory preserves I have made this year. When it comes to sweet stuff like jam, syrup or compote I tend to make rather more.
Ingredients for pickled zucchini
Zucchini: This recipe for canning zucchini pickles not only zucchini but also some peppers and onions. Thus, you will have a whole salad of pickled vegetables to serve as a side dish or as a bread topping.
- I used regular green zucchini. You can also use yellow zucchini.
- I had a huge zucchini from a friend's garden, which I used to make the preserves, and because it was so large, I preferred to remove the seeds with a spoon; they tend to become floppy, and I don't like that. Do remove them if your zucchini is extra large, but you can leave them if you use regular-sized zucchini.
Bell peppers: Any color would do, except green, maybe.
Onions: You can use regular white onions or red ones, they would make the jars look even prettier than they already do.
Preserving liquid: A mixture of regular white wine vinegar, water, and sugar with spices like salt, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, and curry powder.
The jars I use for pickles have a capacity of about 17 oz/ 500 ml. Use what you have and make sure you sterilize them before using.
How to make sweet zucchini pickles?
- Step #1: Clean and chop the vegetables.
- Step #2: Boil the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and curry powder in a large pot.
- Step #3: Add the chopped vegetables. Turn the heat down to medium, bring to a simmer, and let cook gently for 5 minutes.
- Step #4: Use a slotted spoon to lift the vegetables from the liquid and divide them between several sterilized jars, the size of your choice.
- Step #5: Pour the pickling liquid from the pot into the jars and seal the jars well.
How to store the pickles?
Leave the jars with zucchini pickles for at least 1 week before eating to allow the flavors to develop.
The zucchini will be kept refrigerated for at least 6 months. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge and consume the sweet zucchini pickles within 2 weeks.
How to serve them?
Do you like this recipe?
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Sweet Zucchini Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 lbs zucchini 1 kg
- 1 lb bell peppers 450 g
- 1 lb onions 450 g
- 1¾ cups white wine vinegar 400 ml
- 1½ cups water 350 ml
- ⅔ cup sugar 130 g
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
Instructions
- Prepare zucchini: Clean the zucchini, halve it, and remove the seeds (with a spoon) if it is very large, you don't have to remove the seeds if the zucchini is of regular size. Chop into regular small cubes.
- Prepare peppers and onions: Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them into cubes of the same size as the zucchini cubes. Peel the onion, halve it, and cut it into half rings.
- Preserving mixture: Pour the white wine vinegar and the water into a large pot. Add the sugar and all the spices and bring the mixture to a boil. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium, add all the vegetables, bring to a simmer again, and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Place in jars: Divide the vegetables and the remaining liquid evenly among the sterilized jars. I had 4 ½ jars of 17 oz/ 500 ml capacity, but you can use whatever size of jars you prefer. Seal well.
- I prefer to leave the vegetables for at least 1 week before starting to eat them. Keep them refrigerated and consume an opened jar within two weeks.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I love how you have such great memories of your grandmother. I have never tackled canning but the reward as it seems like so much work, but the rewards are so worth it!
Balvinder says
I love all kinds of pickles. Mealtime becomes so much fun with these condiments added to even a simple meal