It is summer time. The birds are singing, bees are buzzing and someone is standing by the side of the road looking for anyone driving by with a window rolled down so they can chuck a zucchini in it.
I have heard all the stories: “I just planted 1/2 the package of seeds. Who woudda thunk?” -or- “It was wee-sized on Friday, and when we got back from the weekend camping trip, we found a baseball bat in the garden!”
There’s only so much zucchini bread, cookies, parmesan, etc. that one can consume in the summer, so here’s one that you can enjoy in the colder months. I got this from my mom, who got it from my great aunt of German origin. So I can trace this back to at least the early 1900s. We don’t have zucchinis this year, so we won’t get to whip this up, but I have fond memories of this delicious relish as a young boy.
Zucchini Relish
- 8 cups zucchini – grated
- 2 cups onions – finely diced
- 1 large green pepper – finely diced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt
Mix well and let stand overnight in a cool place or refrigerator. The following day, rinse well with cold water and drain. Set aside.
Combine the ingredients below.
- 1 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
Cook until it starts to thicken. Add the zucchini mixture above and mix well.
Cook for another 20 minutes and seal in jars. ENJOY!
Sound great. I make about two loaves of z bread a week–one for now and one for the freezer. And we grill and and z to other dishes, but I’ve been wanting to try a relish for awhile. I have a neanderthall club-sized speciman in the garden that I think would yield all 8 cups of grated z by itself!
Great blog, btw. I love getting your tweets as well.
LOL, thanks Janet. Love the term “Neanderthal speciMAN”! Why oh why do we invariably think they couldn’t grow THAT BIG???
This just in. A recipe for Zucchini Spice Cupcakes from a Twitter follower: http://twitter.com/a_foodie Thanks, Laura!
Recipe: http://tideandthyme.com/?p=117
Hi, perfect timing for Zucchini recipes! Zucchini is going wild in southeastern CO. Do you happen to a have a zucchini relish recipe that is a little on the hot side and not so much sugar?
Thank you for all that you are doing to help us grow food for ourselves and others!
Blessings,
Sharon
Hi Sharon, alas, we don’t have a hot recipe version. But how about experimenting on a small portion with hot chili sauce, using a less acidic vinegar (I have a wonderful but expensive 25-yr old balsamic vinegar from Modena that’s not sharp) or diluting the vinegar a bit to take out the bite, and minimizing the sugar? Throwing in some lemon juice may also make it interesting 🙂
Hmmm….sounds good. I have to fight back a Zuke invasion from my garden, too. So every receipt is welcome.
Wish you were local, Diana. We could veg swap!
Here in Florida, zucchini grow like weeds. Of course it makes you popular with the neighbors. Recipe sounds good, but I just purchase my zucchini relish these days!
We didn’t plant zucchini earlier this yr. but trying to squeeze in a few plants before winter. Typical: when you don’t have any, you crave for some!
It’s the tag-end of zucchini season here, (almost Oct) but I’m going to buy some at the farmer’s market JUST for this recipe. Thank you!
We managed to plant a zuke from seed on one of our wine barrels as of late Aug. which is now fruiting banana-sized zukes. We’re happy 🙂
Can someone tell me what you do with zucchini relish? We were just given four pint jars of the stuff and are clueless…
Thanks so much!
Hi Lindsay,
You are very fortunate! We keep some in the frig year around. It’s great on just about any type of sandwich, including hot dogs and hamburgers. Excellent with fish. I just had some last week on Black Eyed Peas (Chow-Chow works as well). Also it’s good with deviled eggs. I use it in many places where you would use Chow-Chow. For 21 ideas visit http://www.armadillopeppers.com/how-to-use-chowchow-relish.html