Email to Cat      

Brined Zucchini Pickles

Source of Recipe


From "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook"






List of Ingredients



• 9-1/2 lbs. small zucchini (or a mixture of squash and cucumbers), cut into 3- or 4-inch spears
  
• 6 lbs. cauliflower, broken into florets
  
• 1-1/2 cups pickling salt
  
• 12 cups water
  
• 12 cups sugar
  
• 8 cups distilled white vinegar
  
• 8 sticks cinnamon
  






Instructions



1. In a clean large bowl or pickling crock, combine the zucchini and cauliflower. Leave at least 4 inches of space at the top of the crock. Cover with water. Drain the water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the salt. Stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature. Pour the salted water over the vegetables. Using a weighted plate, cover the vegetables to keep them in the brine. Let stand for 1 week; the ideal fermenting temperature is between 70° and 75° F. Fermentation will be much slower at cooler temperatures. Check the pickles daily and skim off any foam that forms.
   
   
2. After 7 days, drain. Discard the brine. Cover the vegetables with hot water and let stand for 24 hours.
   
   
3. Combine the 12 cups water, sugar, vinegar and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Drain the vegetables and pour the hot syrup over them. Cool to room temperature, cover, and let stand for 24 hours.
   
   
4. For the next 3 days, drain the vegetables daily, reserving the syrup. Bring the syrup to a boil and pour over the vegetables. Cool to room temperature, cover, and let stand for 24 hours.
   
   
5. On the fourth day, bring the vegetables and syrup to boil and pack into the hot 1-pint glass jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Using a plastic or wooden spatula, remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth and seal. Process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 feet (20 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet; 25 minutes over 6,000 feet). Let cool, undisturbed, for 12 hours. Label and store in a cool, dry place. Allow 6 weeks for the full flavors to develop.
   
   Makes 6 pints.