6 large, Fresh Zucchinis, or enough to equal 6 cups, peel or leave the skin on, as desired.
4 large Onions, chopped
1 Large Sweet, Red Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
1 Large Sweet, Green Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
3 1/2 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Vinegar
2 teaspoons Celery Seed
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
2 teaspoons Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 Cup Sea Salt
Mason or Ball canning jars and lids
Make sure all your spices are gluten-free, along with the cornstarch and other ingredients.
Grind or grate zucchini into a large bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup Sea salt. Then add enough cold water to completely cover the zucchini, stirring well. Soak for at least 3 hours. Rinse and drain thoroughly. After it has drained, put in a colander, and set it in your sink. Add a couple lawyers of paper towels or cloth tea towels on the top, and press down to squeeze the liquid out. Continue with more towels until no more liquid comes out.
In a large pan, combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, ground mustard along with cornstarch, and bring to a boil. Add zucchini, onions, red and green peppers, and return to boil. Turn heat down to low, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring often. Pack immediately into sterile canning jars, leaving about one half inch space between top of relish, and the rim of the jar. After wiping lids and applying prepared lids and rings, process in boiling water about fifteen minutes. Make sure all the lids seal and “ping.”
If you haven’t canned in jars before, go to the Ball website for step-by-step instructions: http://www.freshpreserving.com/home
As Mom always said at the end of this recipe, have fun!
One year, when I was in high school, Dad planted zucchini squash. Despite planting a very small amount, the plants soon grew to a huge size, almost dwarfing our small backyard. And each plant was loaded with an immense number of zucchinis! We had never eaten zucchini before this, but with such a huge harvest, Dad was giving them to everyone we knew, and Mom was experimenting with many ways of fixing them.
She made this relish that year, and it soon became a perennial favorite with our family. We especially loved it in the deviled eggs Mom made, using this in place of regular pickle relish. Long after Dad no longer gardened, Mom purchased fresh zucchinis yearly to keep us all supplied with this favorite relish. We didn’t fall in love with any of the many other ways Mom fixed zucchinis “the summer of the never ending zucchini harvest,” but we all fell in love with this relish.
