Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles

Zucchini, zucchini, zucchini!

Have you ever noticed that when you grow squash, there's so much of it, you end up giving it to your neighbors, friends, family,

co-workers, mailman, fellow church members,

trash collector, meter reader,

and even your enemies dentists. 

 (Can you guess where I have to go today?)

It's like a giant source of green til you're so sick of it, you never want to see one again...

and then just like that, the vine dies and it's done.

Well, while looking at all the zucchini rolling off the counter,

here's a superb recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles I found in the Blue Book of Preserving by Ball. 

I have to confess, I did alter it. 

The original recipe made much less.

  It only made 5 pints, and I never spend all the time to can something for 5 pints,

so I spent three hours figuring out how to increase the ingredients

so it would make a full canner.

(Yes, please know that 3 hours is an exaggeration...

a little).

 

If you want less, you can always cut the ingredients in half 

(or less

if you are better at math than I am.)

The book has lots of fantastic canning recipes in it...

but this one is a winner!

Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles 

(Makes 7 quarts)

40 small zucchini (sliced)

20 small onions, sliced

5 green peppers, seeded and diced

3/4 cup canning salt

5 cup sugar

5 Tbs. mustard seed

2 1/2 Tbs. dry mustard

2 1/2 tsp. tumeric

2 1/2 tsp. celery seed

2 1/2 tsp. peppercorns

8 cup vinegar

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl or two.  Sprinkle salt over vegetables; stir.  Cover with ice.  Let stand 1 1/2 hours.  Drain and rinse.   Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to boil and ad vegetables.  Return to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Pack hot vegetables into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Adjust two piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

 My wall of food is at it's low point right now.

But hopefully not for long!

Now I need to go brush my teeth,

for the tenth time.

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