Pickled Zucchini

Zucchinis are cheap and plentiful during summer and if you have zucchinis growing in your garden there will inevitabley come a week when your plants produce more than you could possibly eat. This recipe is a great way to preserve extra zucchini so you can enjoy them throughout the year.

You can vary the spices to suit your tastes. When slicing the zucchini you can go for thin round slices or thin long slices, whichever you prefer. I think the onion works best in long strips so I usually cut the onion in half and then slice finely but you might like your onion sliced into rounds or even diced. See what works best for you. If you can afford a nice cider or white wine vinegar use this but cheap white vinegar will work fine as well, it will just make your pickles taste a little more tart.

These pickles are lovely served with cheese and biscuits or added to burgers or sandwiches.

You need:

• 1 kg zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fine ground sea salt
• 1 medium red or green capsicum, finely sliced or diced
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups white or cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground tumeric

Optional extras:

• A handful of fresh dill can be added in the last 5 minutes of cooking
• If you like some heat in your pickles add 1-2 green or red chillies, seeded and either sliced into thin strips or diced.

First we need to remove some of the moisture from the vegetables. Place the sliced zucchini, capsicum and onion in a large bowl, add the salt and toss to get everything evenly coated. The salt will draw the moisture out of the vegetables. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, although it can be left for longer, even overnight if you like. Remove from fridge and drain well.

Combine the vinegar, sugar and spices in a large heavy bottomed pot. Stir well to ensure the sugar is dissolved as you bring to the boil. Add the vegetables and simmer over a medium heat for 30 minutes.

Spoon into hot sterilised jars, making sure that you add enough of the liquid to each jar to cover the vegetables, and seal immediately. Label and then store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate pickles once opened.