can jam 2010 - July - cucurbits

While I have great plans for jars and jars of cucurbits this year (go ahead and look up cucurbits, I will wait), not much is in season here yet.  I did manage to find some local zucchini.  HHMM, zucchini pickles?  Sure, why not.  First thing do do was to bring home 5 medium sized zucchini.  Second order of business was to procure the perfect zucchini pickle making tool.

I imagine this will be used again at Jardiniere time.

I leafed through a number of canning books and settled on Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles.  I have no idea what makes a pickle a Bread and Butter pickle, or if I even like Bread and Butter pickles, but this whole challenge is about learning something new.  So pressed on.

5 zuccs made 2 pints of pickles. 

In three weeks I will know if I like them enough to make more.

BREAD AND BITTER ZUCCHINI

4 pounds zucchini, sliced into rounds

1/4 cup pickling salt

2/14 cups vinegar

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds (I goofed and added 1 tablespoon, only time will tell if it is a problem)

Put the zucchini in a bowl and toss with salt.  Cover with 2 trays of ice cubes.  Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.  Drain well.

Bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar and spices.  Add the zuccs, slowly bring back to a boil and simmer 5 - 7 minutes.  Once they turn from bright to dull green, they are heated through.

Ladle zuccs into pint jars, add liquid to 1/2 headspace.  Boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Wait 3 weeks to give them a taste :-(

Comments

[Audrey]

I have 6 zucchini plants in my garden...and my daughter and I are compiling a list of recipes for zucchini. This has been added to my list! Thanks. I always love reading about what you've put up.

[kate]

I love bread and butter pickles with cukes -- very curious to see how they turn out with zucchinis!

[Julie]

Grandma was a huge fan of bread and butter pickles as well as refrigerator pickles (also sweet). I've never quite managed to duplicate her refrigerator pickles as that was one recipe she never wrote down.

[Teresa]

Do these stay crunchy?

[Brenda]

how much vinegar ?