How to Make Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles
Step #1: Toss the zucchini with the salt in a large bowl. Chill for 3 hours in the fridge, then drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Well, I fibbed a little bit. I saved some of the smaller zucchini to make spiralized zucchini pickles! Just like the squash bread, this recipe experiment was created out of necessity. I got really excited when I planted my garden this year and expected that I’d have a ton of pickling cucumbers by now. I bought some canning books. This one, Not Your Mama’s Canning Book, is by far my favorite and written by a fellow blogger. Within minutes, I had a whole mess of spiralized zucchini just ripe for pickling. I salted them to remove excess moisture, patted them dry, and then stuffed the curls into hot jars along with some Ball Pickle Crisp. Next, I boiled some pickling brine and ladled it into the jars. I followed the instructions in my America’s Test Kitchen Foolproof Preserving Cookbook for zucchini pickles by processing the jars in a hot water bath for 30 minutes. If you need a canning kit, here is a good one that is not expensive. If you’re not into the whole canning zucchini thing, you can always make these as refrigerator pickles instead—I’ve made some notes in the recipe below that should help you out. Step #2: While the zucchini is chilling, prepare for canning as follows: Place a canning rack in a large pot and put four-pint jars (lids removed) onto the rack. Add enough water to cover the tops of the jars by 1 inch. Set the heat to medium and allow the water to come to a simmer. Turn off the heat. Step #3: Use a jar lifter to remove the hot jars from the pot of water and place them upside down on a clean dish towel. Once dry, turn them upright and add ⅛ teaspoon pickle crisp to each jar. Pack each jar tightly with the drained zucchini. Step #4: Place the vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seeds, turmeric, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Set the burner to medium-high heat and allow to boil. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill each zucchini-packed jar with the hot brine. Be sure to leave 1/2-inch of headspace. Use a clean butter knife or wooden skewer to run along the inside of each jar to remove any air bubbles. If any of the jars have more than 1/2-inch headspace after the air bubbles pop, top them off. Step #5: For Refrigerator Pickles: Cover with lids and rings, let cool to room temperature, and chill in the fridge before serving. Step #6: For Canning: Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a paper towel. Add the lids and screw on the rings until just barely tight (don’t over-tighten!). Heat the water that remains in the canning pot until it reaches 120°F (49°C). Use the jar lifters to place the jars right-side-up onto the canning rack. Bring the water to between 180-185°F (82-85°C) and maintain it for 30 minutes. Carefully remove it from the pot and set it on the kitchen towel to cool for 24 hours. Remove the rings and check to ensure each lid is sealed. Store for up to 1 year.
