zucchini pickle

'specially for Joanna. My zucchini pickle recipe comes from a wonderful New Zealand recipe book called The Cook's Garden: For cooks who garden and gardeners who cook, by Mary Browne, Helen Leach and Nancy Tichborne (three sisters) and first published in 1980. My aunt first introduced me to this book and I bought my own copy as a student in 1991. I had started a small vegetable garden at the back of our student flat and used this book for both gardening tips and recipes.

When our flat was arsoned in 1993 (burglars who got careless we think), my bedroom was gutted but as my recipe books were in the kitchen, they survived. My Cook's Garden is still smoke stained. I went on to purchase the sequel and also their bread book, though I've not been making bread for a long while.

Now I go back to this book for things like pickles and chutneys but also because there are lots of great vege-based casserole recipes which fitted the bill well for cheap student living and now for wholesome budget family cooking.

On the garden side of the book, I notice how times have changed as I read enthusiastic tributes to modern hybrid seeds. Given their commitment to good taste (as in yummy, not 'discerning'), I suspect if they were writing now, they'd be talking (re)discovering heirloom varieties.


Zucchini Pickle
1 kg zucchini
4 large onions
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 cup salt
2 cup sugar
2.5 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed

Chop unpeeled zucchini finely. Peel and chop the onions. Remove the seeds from the peppers and chop the flesh. Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the surface and cover with water. Leave for 2 hours (I tend to leave overnight). Drain. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain again.

In a preserving pan boil the sugar, vinegar, water, turmeric and celery seed for 3 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for 15 minutes. Spoon into hot dry jars and seal.