It’s that time of the year again, the sun is shining and the courgettes/zucchini just keep on coming! This relish has become one of my yearly summer recipes to get rid of use up a few of the many courgettes that come my way! I’ve tried various recipes over the last few summers and this is a combination of those.

It makes a sweet relish that goes well in any sandwich containing meat or cheese, it would be perfect with hotdogs if you eat them.  These days I don’t eat hotdogs but loved them growing up in America and even more so I loved the (bright green!) relish that we had with them. I believe we used to have Heinz sweet relish, something I’ve only found once in the UK.  My label reading habit would now have me leaving it on the shelf if I did find it again and anyhow this version of relish is just as sweet but a whole lot more natural!  When the last jar gets finished, usually at the beginning of Spring I find myself feeling a little sad and believe it or not I momentarily begin to look forward to the courgette glut again just to make more of this relish!

Courgette/Zucchini Relish

ingredients

• 3 lb grated courgettes
• 1.5 lbs peeled and finely chopped onion
• 3 oz salt
• 2 red peppers (or 1 red, 1 green)
• 590 mls white vinegar
• 2.5 lbs sugar (I use unrefined)
• 1.5 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp black pepper

method

1. Grate the courgettes and finely chop the onions ( I use a food processor for this, much easier if you have one). Put both the courgettes and the onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, mix the salt evenly throughout, its easiest to just use your hands here! Cover and leave for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight in the fridge although beware of leaving it in the fridge as the onions smell very strongly.
2. Drain the courgettes and onion in a colander, rinse well with cold water then squeeze out the excess water, again hands are best for this!
3. Put the chopped peppers, vinegar,sugar and spices into a large pan, stir well.
4. Add the drained courgettes and onion. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Carefully fill your sterilised jars with the relish. Screw on the lids and process for 10 minutes in a water bath. If unsure of canning procedures see here

Tip

You will get 5-7 jars of relish depending on your jar size.