How to make Pickled Zucchini
We probably weren’t the only ones who did a hasty pre-frost harvest last week. Frost kills a lot of summer plants found in Canberra veggie gardens, and our haul included a double handful of basil, a couple of kilos of green tomatoes, a beautiful bunch of marigolds and many, many zucchini.
These are round zucchini! They're an heirloom variety called Ronde De Nice.
There are plenty of different ways to preserve garden produce so that it lasts through the winter months, but pickles are a great place to start. This recipe is for zucchinis, but it can be adapted for many different vegetables. Maybe you need a way to deal with an unexpectedly generous load of carrots or cucumbers in your latest veggie box, or maybe you just like pickles. These definitely don’t last long in our fridge!
Pickled Zucchini
3kg zucchini (or another vegetable, use your imagination!)
2 tbsp salt
1L white wine or cider vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 smallish onions thinly sliced
Optional spices - use as many of these as you have at home, or substitute for ones you prefer:
3 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 bunch fresh dill (or dill seeds)
2 tsp chilli flakes (or sliced fresh chilli)
20ish black peppercorns
bay leaves
You’ll need 4-6 jam jars with metal pop-top lids.
If the zucchinis are old or overgrown peel them first, slice thinly and put into a bowl with the salt overnight. The larger the zucchinis the longer it will take to draw the liquid out.
The following day drain zucchinis, sterilise jars, boil lids in hot water
To make the pickling brine: combine sugar, turmeric, vinegar and 500ml of water over low heat. Stir to dissolve and bring to boil for 5 minutes
To the zucchinis add onions, mustard seeds, fennel, dill and chilli.
Pack the jars tightly with zucchinis, add peppercorns and bay leaves to each jar. Pour over the brine.
Remove bubbles by running a knife or chopstick around the edge of the jar.
Add more brine to cover zucchinis, wipe jar rims with paper towel, screw on the lids
Allow jars to cool on a tea towel or chopping board, they can be kept in the fridge for 2 months
If you want to keep the pickles out of the fridge: process in a water bath for 10 minutes. They will lose some of their crunchiness if you do this, so if we only do this if we’re making a big batch that won’t fit in the fridge
To process in a water bath: line a pot with a tea towel, put in jars (make sure they're still hot, or the jars will crack), cover with hot water and bring to the boil slowly. After boiling for 10 minutes turn off the heat, carefully remove each jar and place on a tea towel or wooden board to cool. Once they’ve cooled, check that they’ve sealed by making sure the button on the top of the lids is popped down. Any jars that haven’t sealed should be kept in the fridge and eaten first.