Pickling/relish making Q's

[Jessiebean]

The Zucchinis are coming in and I thought I'd better prepare myself for making Zucchini relish when we all get sick of them but I have no idea what to do or what is involved.
I made Strawberry jam in the microwave last yaer for the first time and that worked very well so I am hoping that I can do something similarly small scale and low fuss using the jam jars I have already....
could someone point me in the right direction... preferably away from American websites that I don't really understand.

[Green Rosie]

I've got a great zucchini (courgette) relish recipe - I'll post it up later if you like .... and yell at me if I forget

[Jessiebean]

That would be great. I think I will have to adopt the Pommie habit of calling them courgette as I seem to be able to spell it!
(Hoping that the above isn't offensive to the Bristish, French or British living in France, you can never be too careful in these politically correct days.)

[SusieGee]

This is courtesy of Hugh Fernley Whittingstall River Cottage. I made some glutney last year and it was great because you can literally mix and match ingredients dependant on what you have a glut of.

This is a ‘multiple choice’ recipe for chutney, designed to help you use whatever seasonal fruit and vegetables are in full glut at the time. For me, the courgettes/overgrown marrows are pretty much a staple in August and September, and they may give way to pumpkins and squashes in October and November. Tomatoes and plums are around at roughly the same time, though the tomatoes will start early – particularly if you use green ones.
Of course, no two batches of glutney will ever be quite the same – but that hardly matters. You should also feel free to play fast and loose with the spice bag. And if you like a really hot chutney, add as much dried chilli as you dare.
Serve with cheese, cold meats, terrines, pork pies etc. But also remember what a useful ingredient chutney is, with a ready-mixed blend of sweet, sour and spice. I frequently add it to curries, soups and stews.
To make about 10 jam jars’ worth:

1kg marrows/overgrown courgettes, unpeeled but cut into dice no bigger than 1cm (discard seeds from really large marrows) OR 1kg pumpkin, peeled, seeds and soft fibres discarded, and diced no bigger than 1cm
1kg red or green tomatoes, scalded, skinned and roughly chopped OR 1kg plums, stoned and chopped
1kg cooking or eating apples, peeled and diced
500g onions, peeled and diced
500g sultanas or raisins
500g light brown sugar
750ml white wine or cider vinegar, made up to 1 litre with water
1–3 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp salt

For the spice bag
1 thumb-sized nugget of fresh or dried ginger, roughly chopped
12 cloves
12 black peppercorns
1 generous tsp coriander seeds
a few blades of mace

Put the vegetables and fruit in a large, heavy-based pan with the sultanas or raisins, sugar, vinegar and water, chilli flakes and salt.
Make up the spice bag by tying all the spices in a square of muslin or cotton. Add the spice bag to the pan, pushing it into the middle.
Heat the mixture gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2–3 hours, uncovered, stirring regularly to ensure it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. The chutney is ready when it is rich, thick and reduced, and parts to reveal the base of the pan when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. If it starts to dry out before this stage is reached, add a little boiling water.
Pot up the chutney while still warm (but not boiling hot) in sterilised jars with plastic-coated screw-top lids (essential to stop the vinegar interacting with the metal). Leave to mature for at least 2 weeks – ideally 2 months – before serving.

[Jessiebean]

That looks like a great recipe, thanks for that.

[Jessiebean]

where is Green Rosie's recipe? Can I yell at her yet?

[Green Rosie]

I'm here, I'm here

As hot as you like Courgette/zucchini Relish:

6lb/ 3kg Finely diced courgettes
3oz/75g salt
1lb/450g onions - finely chopped
Chilles - finely chopped (Leave seeds in for a hotter pickle)*
2pts/1litre cider or white wine vinegar
3tsp turmeric
3 tsp Dry mustard powder
1lb 2oz/500g dark brown sugar (or half dark half demerera)
1.5oz/70g cornflour dissolved in a little water

* I used 5 very hot chillies for a hot pickle

Steep the courgettes in the salt for 2hrs, then rinse and drain through a tea towel for a couple of hours or overnight. When drained place in a large pan and add all the ingredients except the sugar and corn flour. Boil until the the vegetables are soft. Add the sugar, allow to dissolve then boil for 5mins. Add the dissolved cornflour and simmer for 5mins. Bottle into sterilised jars and add lids whilst hot.

[Green Rosie]

And if you like chocolate cake this is fantastic:

Courgette Chocolate Cake

170g/6oz butter
400g/14oz sugar
3 eggs
2tsp vanilla essence
285/10oz grated courgette
355g/12.5oz plain flour
75g/2.5oz cocoa powder
2.5tsp baking powder
1.5tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
11cl/4fl oz milk
170g/6oz walnuts (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar then mix in the beaten eggs one at a time and mix well (a little flour added with each egg reduces the risk of the mixture curdling). Stir in the courgettes and vanilla essence. Then stir in all the dry ingredients, alternating with a little milk. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Bake in a large greased cake tin for 1-1.5hrs* at 180c/350F/Gas mark 4. The cake is ready when a clean skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean and the cake feels springy to touch.

*The exact time will depend on how deep the mixture is - I use a large rectangle tin so the mixture isn't too deep and it takes an hour. A deeper mixture will need the full 1.5hrs.

[Millymollymandy]

I like the sound of that relish Rosie as the ingredients with the cornflour etc sounds similar to Delia's runner bean pickle which we adore.

Will also have to try that cake recipe as I like courgette cake (recipe on here somewhere!) - my French friends still talk about my 'green' cake!

That would be great. I think I will have to adopt the Pommie habit of calling them courgette as I seem to be able to spell it!
(Hoping that the above isn't offensive to the Bristish, French or British living in France, you can never be too careful in these politically correct days.)

Not remotely offensive, we're so used to you lot calling us Whinging Poms, I think we'd be offended if you didn't!

[homegrown]

Well this was well timed as I was just wondering what to do with my courgette glut

[Jessiebean]

Yus yus, that Green Rosie recipe looks like something I could handle....
I have four large courgettes to deal with right now, might do a cake and then the relish.
My garden is feral and productive. I love it!

[Jessiebean]

And if you like chocolate cake this is fantastic:

IF I like chocolate cake? Show the person who doesn't like chocolate cake and I shall smite them so hard, yea verily!
I nearly always feel that people wo claim to not like chocolate or chocolate cake are just trying to be interesting!
Excuse me I am feeling militant today, being woken by a three yearold screaming blue murder will do that to you- especially when you discover that even though it sounds like someone has pulled one of his limbs off the reason he is screaming is because "I weally , weally want a glass of dry ginger ale!".
*sigh*

[Jessiebean]

Green Rosie- may be a stupid question but with steeping the courgettes in the salt is that a salt solution or do I just sprinkle the salt on the diced courgette like you do with old eggplant?

[Green Rosie]

IF I like chocolate cake? Show the person who doesn't like chocolate cake and I shall smite them so hard, yea verily!
I nearly always feel that people wo claim to not like chocolate or chocolate cake are just trying to be interesting!

I have to beg to differ - OH doesn't like chocolate cake and I must admit I always veered towards the "he's trying to be different/awkward" idea ....... but BOTH small boys also dislike chocolate cake despite us never having mentioned their Dad's dislike. Children with birthdays at school can take in a cake and invariably it is chocolate. Older one says he's eats it but doesn't really like it where-as younger one came home in tears 'cos he misses out by not liking it

Honestly - it means I have to eat all the chocolate courgette cake and it's BIG

[SusieGee]

And if you like chocolate cake this is fantastic:

IF I like chocolate cake? Show the person who doesn't like chocolate cake and I shall smite them so hard, yea verily!
I nearly always feel that people wo claim to not like chocolate or chocolate cake are just trying to be interesting!
Excuse me I am feeling militant today, being woken by a three yearold screaming blue murder will do that to you- especially when you discover that even though it sounds like someone has pulled one of his limbs off the reason he is screaming is because "I weally , weally want a glass of dry ginger ale!".
*sigh*

please don't smite too hard! but I weally weally don't like chocolate cake and I'm not just saying it to get attention