Do you love zucchini but get overwhelmed by how many fruits your plant produces? I feel you. I love finding zucchini in the garden, but I can only make so much zucchini bread. Zucchini salsa has quickly become a family favorite.
I love to preserve what I grow in my garden, creating a pantry full of shelf-stable foods. Most of the year, I only shredded the zucchini and froze it for the occasional bread, muffin, and brownie recipes.
Is It Safe to Can Zucchini?
I heard about making zucchini salsa awhile ago from a friend, but I wasn’t sure, so I had to do some research about is it safe to can zucchini. When you think of preserving zucchini, canning doesn’t usually come to mind.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation says that canning summer squash, including zucchini, isn’t recommended because of the uncertain food processing times. Squash is a low-acid vegetable, and you have to pressure can these types of foods. There hasn’t been enough studies to let us know the appropriate length of time to process to kill off all the bacteria.
They did offer a recipe to safely can zucchini, and that was to create zucchini pineapple. Interesting, right?
You are able to can zucchini pineapple because the high levels of acid in pineapple make it safe. The NCHFP does recommend recipes for bread and butter zucchini pickles – which are delicious. I tried those as well!
Gather Up The Supplies
Salsa is a high-acid recipe, so that means you don’t need a pressure canner. That makes a lot of people happy, even though I have a secret love affair with my pressure canner.
It doesn’t have an explosive problem like so many people think. It’s just misunderstood.
You’ll need the regular canning supplies for water bath canning, such as:
You’ll also need other supplies, such as a cutting board, but most kitchens already have those.
How to Make Zucchini Salsa
For the most part, zucchini salsa is a straightforward recipe. The longest part is grating the zucchini. You need 12 cups of zucchini. I used green and yellow zucchini; it all tastes the same.
Usually, you want to soak the grated zucchini in salt for at least a few hours to help draw out the moisture. Rinse well after the salt soak.
Next up, you have to dice onions and peppers. I use jalapeno, and I often stick a few cayenne peppers into the mix as well to kick up the heat for my husband. He’s a heat addict, so each season, I usually make a hot batch for him and a normal one for the rest of us.
Next, dice up those tomatoes. You can toss them into a food processor if you want as well. Ideally, you don’t want a liquid – chunks are good since it’s salsa.
This is a great recipe to use to get rid of all those blemished tomatoes. No one ever knows that the tomatoes you used weren’t beautiful.
Once everything is ready, all of the ingredients need to go into a large stockpot to cook down. Truly, that’s all there is to it. Salsa needs to cook down for at least 45 minutes to boil off some of the water and to integrate the flavors throughout the salsa.
Once the salsa is put into the jars, process in the water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.
That’s all you have to do. I take this salsa with me to family parties, and it’s always a hit!
Zucchini Salsa
It's the perfect salsa for your pantry with a bit of sweetness paired with heat
Ingredients
- 12 Cups Grated Zucchini
- 2 Cups Diced Onion
- 1 Green Pepper Chopped
- 1 Red Pepper Chopped
- 3-4 Jalapeno Peppers Diced
- 12 Cups Fresh Tomatoes Chopped
- 3 1/2 TBSP Canning Salt
- 1 TSP Turmeric
- 1 TSP Cumin
- 1 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1 TSP Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 TBSP Red Chili Peppers
- 1 TBSP Mustard Seeds
- 1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar Light
- 2 Cups White Vinegar
Instructions
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The first step is the longest. Grate the zucchini. You can cover the zucchini with pickling salt and let sit in the refrigerator overnight or several hours to dry out moisture. You can skip this step; I often do, and simply let the mixture to boil longer to remove more of the liquid.
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The next day or a few hours later, drain and rinse the zucchini well.
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Dice up the onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Remember you can adjust the heat of this recipe by adding or reducing peppers.
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Put the grated zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and peppers into a large stock pot. Turn it in on medium-high heat.
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Add the turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, red chili peppers, mustard seeds, brown sugar, and vinegar. Bring up to a boil.
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Once boiling, bring down the heat to medium and let the mixture cook for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how much liquid is in the tomatoes. You might have to cook for longer if the tomatoes are watery.
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Ladle the hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Don't forget to wipe down the rims before adding the lids and rings.
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Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts).
FAQs
Trim the ends off, then cut the zucchini into cubes, do not peel it. Boil or steam the zucchini for 2-3 minutes. Pack the hot zucchini into the canning jars (pint or quart.) Leave a 1 inch head space.
Do I have to cook salsa before canning? ›
Do You Have To Cook Salsa Before Canning? Yes, otherwise, if you can raw or fresh salsa, you will have to process it for a longer time than cooked salsa. This will take much longer, so it is better to cook the salsa before canning.
How do you preserve zucchini in jars? ›
Procedure: Peel zucchini and either cut into 1/2-inch cubes or shred. Mix zucchini with other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Fill jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Can you can squash and zucchini in water bath? ›
Because squash is a low-acid food, it isn't safe to preserve it with water bath canning methods (the most common type of canning) unless you pickle it with a lot of salt and vinegar.
How do you keep zucchini crisp when canning? ›
To increase the crispness of your zucchini pickles, start with firm zucchini. Choosing large zucchini helps, too. Also, always make sure that each slice is fully submerged in the brine. After you can your zucchini pickles, store them in a cool, dry place for optimal crispness.
Does canned zucchini get mushy? ›
Safely canning any low acid food requires a pressure canner to ensure temperatures high enough to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that produce a dangerous toxin. However, processing squash and zucchini at such high temperatures in a pressure canner would compact them and create an undesirable mush.
Does homemade salsa need to be cooked? ›
You don't need to cook it. Chop or blend the ingredients and that's enough. How do you preserve salsa without canning? For homemade salsa, add a little lemon juice/vinegar during preparation before storing.
Do you have to use vinegar when canning salsa? ›
You must add acid to canned salsa because the natural acidity may not be high enough. Commonly used acids are vinegar and bottled lemon juice. Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar and has less effect on flavor.
Can I cook salsa and can it later? ›
Salsa can be cooked before or after canning. This recipe calls for cooking the salsa beforehand, cutting down on processing time in the hot water bath.
Is it better to freeze or canning zucchini? ›
We do not recommend canning summer squash or zucchini. We recommend preserving summer squash or zucchini by pickling or freezing. Summer squash is good for you. It is low in calories and many varieties provide vitamin C, potassium and, if the skin is eaten, beta carotene.
What Is the Safest Way to Can Zucchini? Water bath canning uses high heat and boiling water to can pickles and high-acid foods. Pressure canners are safest for low-acid foods, like vegetables and zucchinis, and can stop the spread of bacteria.
What is the best way to preserve zucchini for winter? ›
While freezing zucchini is a great way to extend its life, it's not as simple as just popping a few squash into your freezer. Raw zucchini gets weepy and watery after thawing. To effectively save it, you should chop and blanch it first. This helps set the texture and color and makes it last longer.
Why is canning squash not recommended in water bath? ›
Squash are low-acid vegetables; therefore, they require pressure canning for a known period of time to destroy the bacteria that cause botulism.
Why do you soak zucchini in salt water? ›
Salt causes zucchini rounds to release excess water. This important extra step helps the zucchini to sauté rather than stew in its own juices.
Why is it not recommended to can squash? ›
Very Dense Purees
These food should not be canned because the density of the product prevents heat from reaching the cold spot in the jar. Pureed or mashed pumpkin or winter squash. Instead can as pumpkin or squash cubes. Pureed cooked dried beans (refried beans).
Do you have to cook vegetables before canning? ›
When vegetables are raw packed, they are cleaned but not heated. Then, they are simply added to the jar, and the jar is filled with boiling water. Fill the jar with freshly prepared, unheated vegetables, making certain to pack the jar tightly because the vegetables will shrink during the canning process.
Does zucchini need to be cooked? ›
Bottom line: Raw or cooked is fine. It's safe to eat raw zucchini. Try it with your favorite dip; leave the skin on so you get the extra fiber. It's possible to be allergic to raw zucchini, but cooking it might help some people.
Do you cook vegetables before canning them? ›
Blanch vegetables. Combine all the vegetables in a large pot and boil for 5 minutes. Pack the clean jars with the vegetables and cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch of space at the top of the jars. As an optional addition, add 1 teaspoon of canning salt to each jar.
Can you eat zucchini raw without cooking it? ›
Can you eat zucchini raw? In most cases, raw zucchini is safe to eat with little or no side effects. However, sometimes you may encounter some bitter fruit. This bitterness comes from cucurbitacins, a group of compounds found in members of the cucurbit family, such as pumpkins, zucchini, and gourds.
