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Feature Articles: Cooking and Produce Too Much Zucchini?
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I asked the woman how much zucchini she had. Eighteen bushels
was her reply. After recovering from my shock, I asked why she
had planted so much zucchini. She answered that it was her first
year for a garden and she had planted 10 hills of zucchini.
Anyone who has grown zucchini knows that a little planting
goes a long way. It’s common for MU Extension to receive calls
about how to use zucchini. Here are some recipes and tips:
Zucchini-Pineapple
4 quarts diced or shredded zucchini
46 ounces canned unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups bottled lemon juice
3 cups sugar
Mix ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer 20 minutes. Fill hot jars with hot mixture and cooking
liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece lids and
process in a boiling water bath (15 minutes for half-pints or
pints).
Zucchini pickles
Yield: 4 half-pints
2 pounds zucchini, sliced (about 8 small)
1/3 pound onion, quartered and sliced (about 1 small)
1/4 cup canning salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups vinegar
Combine zucchini and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with
salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain
mixture, then rinse and drain again. Combine remaining
ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour vinegar
mixture over zucchini and onions and let stand 2 hours. Bring
all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes.
Pack hot zucchini and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch
headspace. Adjust two-piece caps and process 15 minutes in a
boiling water canner.
Zucchini relish
Yield: 4 half-pints
2 cups chopped zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper (about 1 small)
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper (about 1 small)
2 tablespoons salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
Combine zucchini, onion and peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle
with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain
mixture, then rinse and drain again. Combine remaining
ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add vegetables
and simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving
1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece lids and process 10 minutes
in a boiling water canner.
Dehydrated zucchini
Choose young, slender zucchini. Wash zucchini and cut into
1/4-inch slices for cooking purposes or 1/8-inch slices for
chips. Dry in a single layer in a 125-degree oven until brittle.
Use slices in soups and casseroles or sprinkle zucchini chips
with seasoned salt and serve with dips.
To freeze slices
Choose young, tender zucchini. Wash and cut in ½-inch slices.
Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Cool promptly in ice-cold
water before draining and packaging in freezer bags or
containers, leaving ½-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
To freeze grated
Choose young, tender zucchini. Wash and grate zucchini, then
steam blanch in small batches for 1 to 2 minutes. For use in
recipes, pack measured amounts into containers, leaving 1/2-inch
headspace. Cool by placing the containers in cold water. Seal
and freeze. If zucchini is watery when thawed, discard the
liquid before use.
Source:
So Easy to Preserve. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia
Extension. (To request a copy, e-mail
cespub@arches.uga.edu)
Last update: Monday, August 07, 2006
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