A tangy and sweet zucchini relish recipe that is the perfect way to use up excess zucchini or courgette from the garden and enjoy it all year long on hotdogs, burgers, cheese boards and in sandwiches.
If you in the season of gardening when zucchini are taking over your garden and you can't keep up with them, this is the perfect recipe to make. It's the perfect combination of sweet and a little bit spicy and because this relish is suitable for canning, it will last for the whole year!
I discovered this recipe in Marisa McClellan's book "Food in Jars" which is an amazing book for small batch preserving recipes. I've made a couple of minor tweaks to the recipe to suit our tastes and this relish recipe absolutely delivers in terms of flavour!
It is right in between being a relish and a pickle and the flavour means that it is a welcome addition to so many meals and snacks - plus it has the added bonus of staying crisp and crunchy and just downright delicious, even after weeks in the fridge!
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Ingredients
- Zucchini - any variety of zucchini is perfect in this recipe, even if they have got to the marrow stage, just squeeze out any excess liquid after grating
- Red or green peppers
- Onion
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
- Non iodised salt - when preserving it is best to use non-iodised salt so that it doesn't discolour your preserves
- Yellow mustard seeds - part one of the flavour duo that makes this relish super tasty
- Celery seeds - part two of the epic flavour duo!
- Red pepper/chilli flakes - optional but adds a nice little kick
Equipment needed:
- Water bath canner or large stockpot with rack/trivet. If you don't have a water bath canner, just use the biggest pot you have. It needs to be deep enough that the full jars will be covered by at least 1 inch/2.5cm of water during processing. If you don't have a canning rack or trivet, use canning rings at the bottom of the pot so that the jars are not directly sitting on the bottom of the pot.
- Jars, lids and bands - as I talk about in my beginners guide to water bath canning/bottling post, you can reuse jars and bands/rings but you need new lids or seals each time. My preferred jars for relish are 250 ml or half pint jars - I love the Ball mason half pint jars and I also often reuse great condition jars that I have purchased relish or chutneys in from the supermarket - the Barkers ones are my favourite.
- Jar tongs - these make lifting hot jars out of boiling water a breeze and so much safer!
- Chopping board, grater, knife, slotted spoon, rubber spatula or chopstick, tea towels and other general kitchen equipment
- Large pot to cook the relish in
Instructions
If you are brand new to canning/bottling, these posts might be helpful to read first:
1. Prepare the waterbath and jars
Fill water bath and bring to a boil. Wash 5 half pint jars, lids and rings thoroughly in hot soapy water. Place the jars in the water bath to heat and set aside the lids and bands.
2. Make the relish
Combine the zucchini, pepper and onion in a large non reactive pot. Stir in 1 cup of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Drain any excess vinegar and add the remaining vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Fill the jars
Ladle the hot relish into the hot jars, leaving ½ inch/12mm headspace. Use a wooden chopstick to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars using a clean damp cloth and place the lids on the jars screw the rings on the jars until fingertip tight.
4. Process the jars
Place the filled jars in the water bath and process for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid off the pot (lift the jars halfway out if you have a rack or just leave them in the pot with the lid off if you don't) and allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the water bath and placing on the bench and leaving undisturbed overnight.
5. Check seals and label jars
Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and hopefully you will start hearing the "ping" of lids sealing! When you press down on the centre of the lid, it should be concave and not flex. Remove the ring/band and try to prise the lid off with your fingers. If the jar has sealed properly, you won't be able to lift the lid. Wipe down the jars and lids (you don't need to store them with the rings/bands on) label the jars and store in a cool, dark place.
Sealed jars will last in the cupboard for years but the quality of the food will start to deteriorate over time. I work on most things being good for a couple of years. If the jar hasn't sealed in 24 hours, the contents of the jar needs to be refrigerated.
Serving ideas
It's always great to make relishes and chutneys but it's another thing to make sure you actually use them - here are our favourite ways to serve up this sweet zucchini relish
- On American style hot dogs
- In a burger
- In a cheese toastie
- Added to potato salad dressing
- On a cheese board
- Stirred through cream cheese to make a yummy dip
FAQ's
Properly canned goods will last almost indefinitely on the shelf, but the quality will start to decline over time. I work on relishes and chutneys being good for 2 or 3 years in the cupboard but as long as they look and smell fine after this time, they will still be ok.
Any jars that didn't seal need to be refrigerated. Open jars of relish will keep for months in the fridge.
You can also reheat the relish and start the waterbath process again with a new seal if you have several jars that haven't sealed.
While I usually prefer to use jars with brand new lids/seals, I find that relishes and jams are something that you can usually get away with reusing old jars for. Just make sure that the underside of the lids is perfectly intact with no cracks or splits as the high vinegar content in relish can corrode the inside of the lid over time.
I put any leftover relish in any jar and keep it in the fridge to use straight away.
Other preserving recipes and tutorials
- How to Bottle Peaches (water bath method)
- How to bottle diced tomatoes
- Simple Homemade Strawberry Jam
- Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce (for canning)
Sweet Zucchini Relish
Equipment
- Water bath canner or large stockpot
- Preserving jars and seals
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated zucchini 2-3 medium zucchini
- 3 cups chopped red or green pepper/capsicum 2-3 whole peppers
- 1 cup grated onion about 1 large onion
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar divided
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt not iodised
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- Pinch of red pepper/chilli flakes optional
Instructions
Prepare the waterbath and jars
- Fill water bath and bring to a boil. Wash 5 half pint jars, lids and rings thoroughly in hot soapy water. Place the jars in the water bath to heat and set aside the lids and bands.
Make the relish
- Combine the zucchini, pepper and onion in a large non reactive pot. Stir in 1 cup of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Drain any excess vinegar and add the remaining vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Fill the jars
- Ladle the hot relish into the hot jars, leaving 0.5 inch/12mm headspace. Use a wooden chopstick or spatula to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars using a clean damp cloth and place the lids on the jars screw the rings on the jars until fingertip tight.
Process the jars
- Place the filled jars in the water bath and process for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid off the pot (lift the jars halfway out if you have a rack or just leave them in the pot with the lid off if you don't) and allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the water bath and placing on the bench and leaving undisturbed overnight.
Check seals and label jars
- The next day, remove the rings and check that the jars have sealed. Wipe the jars down, label them and store them in a cool, dark place.
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