How To Prepare Sweet And Sour Pickled Zucchini

Regardless of whether you have grown the zucchini yourself or bought it, you can pickle them like pickles and make them last longer and even enjoy them out of season.

It could be assumed that the hot vinegar would make this vegetable very soft or undone, but the opposite happens, the zucchini has a good texture and is totally suitable for pickling.

Sweet and sour pickled zucchini

The balsamic vinegar soft white or apple cider vinegar are great for pickled zucchini, as they are not too acidic. A 1: 1 ratio of vinegar and water has proven effective.

To get a bittersweet flavor, add sugar, in a proportion of one third of the liquid used. It is advisable to use whole brown cane sugar.

If you want to reduce the sugar, use a little less (a quarter of the volume, for example) and when the mixture is boiling, taste it. If it’s too sour, the pickled zucchini will taste too sour too. On the other hand, if you use too little sugar, the zucchini may not be properly preserved.

Ingredients (for 8 – 9 screw-top jars of 450 ml each):

• 2 kg of medium zucchini
• 800 ml white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 800 ml of water
• 400 – 500 g sugar
• 4 medium onions (preferably red, cut into rings)
• 2 red bell peppers (seeded, cut into strips)
• 2 or 3 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon allspice grains

Elaboration:

1. Wash the zucchini, remove the stem and base and cut into small pieces or slices about 1/2 cm thick.
2. Put the spices, vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the jars. The easiest way to sterilize glasses is to put them in the sink, turn the lids upside down in a container, and fill the glasses with boiling water from the kettle to just below the rim. Pour water over the lids as well.
4. Add the zucchini pieces and bell pepper to the broth. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
5. For canning, pour hot into the freshly emptied jars of water. Add a couple of onion rings. To keep the mixture from getting cold, leave the cooking zone with the contents of the pot on over low heat.
6. The jar should not be completely filled to the brim. Otherwise, you will not create the conservative vacuum. There should be about 2 cm of space to the edge. Vegetables should be completely covered.
7. Make sure no ingredients stick to the edge of the glass. Remove the remains with kitchen paper.
8. Screw the lids on tightly immediately and let it cool.

If after a few hours all the glasses have been firmly closed then the vacuum has been made. The cap should curve inward and should not give way if you press it in the center. The content can be preserved for a long time. You can start consuming them after 2 or 3 weeks, when they will have reached their optimum flavor point.

If this is not the case, which can happen from time to time, and the lid moves, keep the affected jar in the fridge and watch yourself consume it. Opened jars can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Tips for clean processing

• Make sure the inside of the cap is not damaged.
• Use only ingredients that are smudge-free and fresh.
• Glasses should never be filled to the brim.
• Make sure the edge is as clean as possible.
• If you discover a canned jar after a few weeks / months that does not click when you open it, do not eat it, because it was not emptied correctly and it is not safe to eat the contents.
• Work with very clean utensils and surfaces.
• Before eating, always check that the smell is pleasant.

Variants for pickled zucchini

Simple recipes are usually the best when it comes to pickling. However , you can further refine the zucchini with the following ingredients:

• Finely chopped ginger.
• Chillies cut into thicker pieces (without seeds, the vinegar takes away the heat over time).
• Garlic cloves.
• Seeds.
• Two or three pieces of apple or pear.