Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles
Did you know that you can make pickles from zucchini? Their texture makes them similar to cucumbers. Zucchini soak up flavors, so these pickles are delicious. Zucchini bread and butter pickles are my favorite.
Zucchini plants produce way too many squashes usually. It seems like you can only make so much zucchini bread, fried zucchini, and dishes with zucchini. Canning zucchini is a great idea!
It’s Safe to Pickle Zucchini
One of my first concerns was whether or not pickling zucchini was safe. It’s not recommended to can zucchini because it requires a pressure canner and no one knows the correct time to kill off bacteria.
When you think about it, canned zucchini sounds gross. It would end up being mushy, and who wants to eat mushy zucchini?
Pickling zucchini is different. The vinegar adds all the acid needed to make it safe to water bath the jars. So, you don’t have to worry – making these zucchini bread and butter pickles are totally safe!
How to Make Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles
Making zucchini bread and butter pickles are so easy! The first step is slicing the zucchini into even slices. I take out the seeds when I make the spears. You can make slices instead of spears. Slice up the onions as well. That’s your preferences.
The zucchini needs to soak in ice and salt for at least 3 hours to keep the crispiness and remove some of the moisture from the fruit.
Next, boil the vinegar and spices together. You can use white vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar, but white vinegar doesn’t give as much flavor as ACV.
Once the liquid boils together for a few minutes, add in the zucchini and onion slices. Let the zucchini and onions cook in the liquid 15 minutes to develop the flavors. They’ll be delicious!
After the pickles have cooked, pack the spears into the jars. Wide mouth canning jars work best for this recipe; packing in spears is hard with regular-mouth jars. Plus, it’s harder to remove the pickles without a wide mouth jar.
Process the jars for 10 minutes (pints) and 15 minutes (quarts).
Zucchini Bread & Butter Pickles
Who does love bread & butter pickles? Zucchini pickles taste similar to normal pickles. They're a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 4 LBS Sliced Zucchini
- 1 Cup Sliced Onions
- 1/3 Cup Canning Salt
- 2 Quarts Crushed Ice
- 3 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1 TBSP Mustard Seed
- 1 TSP Turmeric
- 1 TSP Celery Seed
- 1 TSP Peppercorns
Instructions
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Slice the zucchini into even pieces. Using a mandolin is the easiest way to get even slices;you can also make spears if you want. Slice up the onions and place them in a large bowl. Put salt over the top, cover with ice, and let stand for 3 hours.
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When the three hours are up, rinse off the zucchini.
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In a large stockpot, combine the vinegar, sugar, and spices. Heat up on medium-high, and bring to a boil.
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Once the liquid is boiling, put in the zucchini and onion slices. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
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Put a funnel in the hot jar, and pack in the hot zucchini, onions, and vinegar mixture. Leave 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe off the rims, remove air bubbles, and put on the lids and rims.
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Process the jars for 10 minutes (pints) or 15 minutes (quarts).
Supplies You Need
Check out the full list of canning supplies you need in my list. Here are a few top items to make sure you have before making these pickles.
How many quarts will this make ?