Are there any home canners on the board? Can you give me your opinion, please?
I am making Sweet Zucchini Relish tomorrow. I've made it before and it's really good stuff. We use it on brats, burgers, hot dogs, in tuna salad, pasta salads and potato salads. We have found that store-bought relish (Vlasic, Heinz, etc.) these days seems to be mostly water. I had a plethora of zucchini a couple years ago and, in desperation, made the relish. I ended up making the recipe 3 times because people would take jars of it.
The problem (and I don't know if it really is a problem) is that when somebody posted this recipe, somebody else said that it was way too sweet (and it is) and she reduced the sugar by half, keeping everything else OK. Which is what I did. I also added some ground mustard, some red pepper flakes, and a couple serrano peppers (seeded and veined) to the mix. And I used a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar.
Well, another person started posting about botulism, how it wasn't safe to mess with canning, you shouldn't reduce ingredients, etc. But honestly, six cups of sugar would make the relish way too sweet, even for sweet relish.
Should I go ahead and water-bath can the relish? Or do you think I should just freeze it? I hate to freeze it because of it getting too watery as it thaws and because it takes up room in the freezer. It's a lot better with the three cups of sugar instead of the six cups. But whenever I do any kind of canning, I'm always afraid I'm going to kill somebody.
Thoughts?
SWEET ZUCCHINI RELISH
12 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
4 cups chopped onion
5 tablespoons canning salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 cups white sugar
2-1/2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place the zucchini and onion in a large, non-metallic bowl, and sprinkle the salt overtop. Use your hands to evenly mix the salt throughout the zucchini. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The following day, drain the zucchini in a colander, and rinse well with cool water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside. Place the red and green bell pepper, sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch into a large pot. Add the nutmeg, turmeric, celery seed and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the drained zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sterilize 7 one-pint jars and lids to hold relish. Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).
Makes 7 pints.
I am making Sweet Zucchini Relish tomorrow. I've made it before and it's really good stuff. We use it on brats, burgers, hot dogs, in tuna salad, pasta salads and potato salads. We have found that store-bought relish (Vlasic, Heinz, etc.) these days seems to be mostly water. I had a plethora of zucchini a couple years ago and, in desperation, made the relish. I ended up making the recipe 3 times because people would take jars of it.
The problem (and I don't know if it really is a problem) is that when somebody posted this recipe, somebody else said that it was way too sweet (and it is) and she reduced the sugar by half, keeping everything else OK. Which is what I did. I also added some ground mustard, some red pepper flakes, and a couple serrano peppers (seeded and veined) to the mix. And I used a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar.
Well, another person started posting about botulism, how it wasn't safe to mess with canning, you shouldn't reduce ingredients, etc. But honestly, six cups of sugar would make the relish way too sweet, even for sweet relish.
Should I go ahead and water-bath can the relish? Or do you think I should just freeze it? I hate to freeze it because of it getting too watery as it thaws and because it takes up room in the freezer. It's a lot better with the three cups of sugar instead of the six cups. But whenever I do any kind of canning, I'm always afraid I'm going to kill somebody.
Thoughts?
SWEET ZUCCHINI RELISH
12 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
4 cups chopped onion
5 tablespoons canning salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 cups white sugar
2-1/2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place the zucchini and onion in a large, non-metallic bowl, and sprinkle the salt overtop. Use your hands to evenly mix the salt throughout the zucchini. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The following day, drain the zucchini in a colander, and rinse well with cool water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside. Place the red and green bell pepper, sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch into a large pot. Add the nutmeg, turmeric, celery seed and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the drained zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sterilize 7 one-pint jars and lids to hold relish. Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).
Makes 7 pints.