{"id":12565,"date":"2013-09-07T09:42:40","date_gmt":"2013-09-07T13:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/growagoodlife.com\/?p=12565"},"modified":"2023-12-03T14:20:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T18:20:31","slug":"sweet-sour-zucchini-pickles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growagoodlife.com\/sweet-sour-zucchini-pickles\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet and Sour Zucchini Pickles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overwhelmed with zucchini? You can preserve that big harvest of zucchini with this easy, sweet and sour zucchini pickles recipe that tastes like bread-and-butter pickles.<\/p>\n

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The zucchini is a summer vegetable that grows quickly and abundantly in nearly every backyard garden. The prolific fruit will likely be plentiful enough to share with neighbors and friends, but have you considered what else you can do with the excess harvest?<\/p>\n

Pickling is a great way to preserve summer zucchini from the garden! These sweet and sour zucchini pickles are perfect on burgers and sandwiches, tossed in salads, and paired with cheese as part of a charcuterie board. They are also delicious snacked right out of the jar.<\/p>\n

Tips for Canning Zucchini Pickles<\/h2>\n

It’s that time of year again when gardens and farmers’ markets are overflowing with zucchini. Turning that abundance into home-canned zucchini pickles is a great way to use them.<\/p>\n

If you prefer tart and dill-flavored pickles, you can follow this Dill Pickled Zucchini recipe<\/a> instead. Or you can make both! While you are at it, also check out this Zucchini Relish recipe<\/a>, which is a perfect way to use up those extra large zucchini that got away from you in the garden.<\/p>\n

But if you prefer the taste of bread and butter pickles, try this sweet and sour zucchini pickles recipe, adapted from the Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles recipe in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving<\/em><\/a>. Follow these tips to make your zucchini pickles extra tasty:<\/p>\n

Use Young Zucchini<\/h3>\n

You can pickle any type of summer squash with this recipe. The original Ball recipe recommends using 14 to 16 small zucchini, which weighs about 4 to 6 pounds zucchini. However, you can also substitute an equal amount of other summer squash varieties, such as yellow summer squash, pattypan, tromboncino, and zephyr.<\/p>\n

When choosing summer squash for pickling, opt for firm, slender, and young fruit. Look for ones that are approximately 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches in length. Avoid preserving zucchini with insect damage, blemishes, soft spots, and wrinkled skin.<\/p>\n

For the best quality, harvest the zucchini just before canning. However, if you need to gather zucchini over a period of time to accumulate enough for a full batch, store the unwashed zucchini in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer for up to 3 days. This will help maintain their freshness until you are ready to begin the pickling process.<\/p>\n

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Type of Onions<\/h3>\n

You can use any type of bulb onion you have available, whether it’s yellow, white, or red. Pickling them makes them taste great, and even the strongest-tasting onions become milder in flavor when pickled.<\/p>\n

Use Pickling Salt<\/h3>\n

It is important to use pickling salt<\/a>, which is also known as canning salt, instead of table salt. Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can darken pickles, affect the flavor, and cause residue in your jars.<\/p>\n

Type of Vinegar<\/h3>\n

Use commercial vinegar with at least 5% acidity for pickling. The most common types used for canning are apple cider and white vinegar.<\/p>\n