Try these spicy yellow squash pickles
By Andrea Weigl – The Raleigh News & Observer
You will never think the same about yellow squash once you taste these pickles.
Juli Leonard/Raleigh News & Observer
I make these every summer and anyone who receives them is soon asking for another jar. These pickles are great on pulled pork or ham and cheese sandwiches. Enjoy!
The recipe calls for pickling salt, which is free of additives and can be purchased with other canning supplies and/or next to the iodized salt at most grocery stores. For general instructions on water bath canning, go to freshpreserving.com/getting-started.
Sweet Yellow Squash Pickles
- 3 to 3-1/2 pounds tender young yellow squash, trimmed, scrubbed and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- 6 cups crushed ice
- 3-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups white distilled vinegar
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1-3/4 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1-3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Layer the sliced squash and onions in a very large nonreactive bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt. Pile the ice on top, set the bowl in the sink and let stand 3 hours.
Drain squash and onions, transfer to a very large colander and rinse under the cold tap water. Drain well, then, using the bowl of a ladle, press out as much liquid as possible.
Wash and rinse 8 1-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.
Bring sugar, white and cider vinegars, mustard and celery seeds and turmeric to a rolling boil in a large nonreactive kettle. Add squash and onions and, stirring gently, return to the boil.
Lift preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Pack with pickles, making sure they are submerged in the pickling liquid and leaving 1/4-inch head space at the top of the jar. Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to release the air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Lift from water bath; complete the seals, if necessary, by tightening the lids, then cool to room temperature.
Makes 6 to 8 pints.
