A long break

I was shocked to find that it had been over a year since I have posted anything on my Blog, and wonder where the heck all the time went too. After an extremely busy summer, the dust has settled, and it's time to get back into the swing of things.

The growing season in the area was very short this year, but it looks like the autumn crops are doing well: Blackberries, plums, apples and more squash then you can shake a stick at, so not all is lost. As those zucchini get a little too mature to be a tender side vegetable, I like to turn them into relish. Typically we have more relish then we know what to do with, so most of our friends get a jar in their holiday gift basket. Here's the recipe that was given to me years ago now:

Zucchini relish

12 cups grated zucchini
5 cups onion julienne
6 Tbl pickling salt
1 red pepper julienne
2 1/2 cups vinegar
4 cups sugar
2 small hot peppers (optional)
6 cloves garlic, minced (see note below)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 Tbl cornstarch
2 Tbl celery seed (optional)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

After grating the zucchini and cutting the onions and mincing the garlic, mix in the salt and let stand overnight. The next day, drain the fluid and rinse twice in cold water to remove some of the overly salty taste.

Add the zucchini mix and the rest of the ingredients into a thick bottomed pot and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Ladle hot zucchini relish mix into sterile jars and process using normal canning techniques.

NOTE ON GARLIC - There is some controversy about using garlic in canning. Most government bodies in North America suggest when canning with garlic that a pressure canner be used to get a higher temperature. There is a risk of botulism poisoning if you do not pressure can. If you do not have a pressure canner, you have two options:

1) omit the garlic - if you do this, you will be able to can this recipe as you would any other household preserve. Pressure canning has a tendency to kill most of the garlic flavor anyways, and I did this in the past before I had a pressure canner with much success.

2) If you MUST have the garlic, you can also freeze the relish in small batches and pull as you need it. This does change the texture of the end product, but it does work in a crunch.

Autumn is harvest time, and there is still lots of canning to do for the winter months, so get out there and don't be afraid to try something new!