Zucchini Salsa Home Canned
I don’t usually tell people that this salsa is zucchini salsa right away.
I let them taste it and when they start raving about how awesome it is, I let them in on the secret. And then they gobble down some more even though the thought of zucchini in their salsa might be a bit strange.
I found this recipe for zucchini salsa before Pinterest was around and not long after I first started using the internet to search for recipes. Man how things have changed.
The original author – well I’m pretty sure that she made this recipe up late one summer when she had a garden bounty like the one I did the year that I went out searching for what else I could do with the massive amounts of zucchini I had growing in my garden. And I am forever grateful that she did.
I wish I could give credit, but my copy has been used for so long and is no longer bearing the name of the user of that long forgotten recipe site I found it on.
This zucchini salsa has been one of the few constants in my late summer kitchen as I usually make a big double or triple batch for the year. We eat it up, give it as gifts, and always look forward to the next season full of ripe tomatoes and overflowing zucchini to make it again.
Ingredients
10 cups of shredded zucchini (you can peel or leave unpeeled)
4 white or yellow onions chopped
2 green peppers chopped
2 red peppers chopped*
1/3 pickling salt
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 – 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes or one fresh jalapeño
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
5 cups chopped tomatoes (garden fresh make this best)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 ounces tomato paste
*You can use any combo of green, red, orange, or yellow peppers
Directions for zucchini salsa
This is a two day process so be sure to look ahead at the directions carefully since you don’t need all the ingredients the first day. Day 1 involves most of the chopping time.
Day 1
In a large stock pot combine the zucchini, onions, green and red peppers, and the salt. Mix them together well. Cover with a lid and let it sit out on your counter overnight. I usually stir several times before going to bed.
Day 2
Rinse the mixture and let it drain well.
Place it back in the large stockpot. Add the mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes or jalapeño, salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, fresh tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Bring to a boil and then lower the temperature to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Depending on what type of tomatoes you used and how juicy they are, you might want to cook it down a little more or add some water if you think it looks too dry. Just depends on how you like your salsa.
This is where we usually dip some chips into the warm salsa and try not to stuff our faces with it all at that moment.
This is also were we should be getting our sterilized canning jars ready to pour the warm salsa into so we can water bath can them!
If you have never canned before or are new to what you need to water bath can, head on over to this blog post from The Prairie Homestead. She has a great tutorial and talks about all the items needed.
If you’ve done it before, go ahead and water bath can the salsa for 15 minutes.
How hot is this zucchini salsa?
Well this is kind of a funny question because out of the dozen or more batches I have made, I’m pretty sure that each one has had a very different heat each time.
Though if you make it to the recipe, it should be a mild heat.
There are a few different things that you can do to to make it to your liking.
If you don’t like very spicy salsa, start with half of the amount of red pepper flakes. You can always add more, but can’t take them out. Or instead you can use one jalapeño (take out the white ribs and it won’t have much heat at all. Just be sure to not get them on your hands and then rub your eyes!)
I have also used canned jalapeños when I couldn’t get my hands on fresh. One can was pretty mild.
One year I made this so hot. I’m not sure how as I did what I always do, but my eyes, along with my mouth, were on fire. Even my husband, who has a much higher spicy tolerance, thought it was spicy. I’m pretty sure I added the full amount of red pepper flakes plus a few jalapeños.
I knew we would never get to enjoy it if I didn’t do something. So I added a bunch more brown sugar. It toned it down, but I ended up adding more tomatoes too.
Don’t be afraid to play with the recipe. If it’s not hot enough, add more spice.
Home Canned Zucchini Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 cups of shredded zucchini you can peel or leave unpeeled
- 4 white or yellow onions chopped
- 2 green peppers chopped
- 2 red peppers chopped*
- 1/3 cup pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes or one fresh jalapeño
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
- 5 cups chopped tomatoes garden fresh make this best
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 12 ounces tomato paste
Instructions
- This is a two day process so be sure to look ahead at the directions carefully since you don't need all the ingredients the first day. Day 1 involves most of the chopping time.
Day 1
- In a large stock pot combine the zucchini, onions, green and red peppers, and the salt. Mix them together well. Cover with a lid and let it sit out on your counter overnight. I usually stir several times before going to bed.
Day 2
- Rinse the mixture and let it drain well. Place it back in the large stockpot.Add the mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes or jalapeño, salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, fresh tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then lower the temperature to simmer for about 15 minutes. Depending on what type of tomatoes you used and how juicy they are, you might want to cook it down a little more or add some water if you think it looks too dry. Just depends on how you like your salsa. This is where we usually dip some chips into the warm salsa and try not to stuff our faces with it all at that moment. This is also were we should be getting our sterilized canning jars ready to pour the warm salsa into so we can water bath can them! Now, go ahead and water bath can the salsa for 15 minutes.
Notes
Pin for Later
As a past recipient of this salsa I highly recommend this recipe – yum!
Looks delish….and such a great way to use up extra zucchini which seem to come off way faster than we can use up!
Thank you. I agree that it is a great way to use up any zucchini, but especially those giant zucchini that our gardens so loveingly gift us.
I am going to start this recipe today, can’t wait. I am wondering how many cups this recipe makes? I am going to put into smaller jars. I would love to try canning these.
I am so glad you are trying it out. Let me know what you do with the amount of heat and how it turns out. I wish I knew the number of cups, but since we always eat some right away, I really don’t know. I usually put it into pint size jars when I can, but you can go larger or smaller.
OMG, this salsa is delicious! I used one jalapeño, since my husband does not like spicy. We couldn’t wait to try it and it was well worth the effort! I am waiting for my canning jars to come out of hot dishwasher before putting it into water bath. I figure if anyone wanted this spicier they could add drops of Tobassco sauce to the salsa as needed. This is a great way to use up the extra zucchini and tomatoes in garden. I would give this recipe 5 stars,
This recipe was delicious! This is definitely 5 stars! I used one jalapeño with the seeds and white membrane taken out. My husband does not like spicy and this was perfect! This did make a lot. I used pint jars and some jelly jars also. Thanks for the recipe This is a great way to use up those extra zucchini and tomatoes from the garden.
I am so happy that you made it and are loving it! Makes me so happy to pass it along. 🙂
When do you add the pickling salt and when do you add the regular salt? Your directions don’t specify. Just says “salt” for both days. Thanks. Can’t wait to try this.
The 1/3 cup pickling salt is for the first day to get the water out of the zucchini that gets rinsed off. The tablespoon of sea salt or kosher salt is for the 2nd day to add into the salsa.
I’ve never heard of zucchini salsa bey, but love the idea. Definitely going to try this out!
Great! Let me know what you think. 🙂
What a great idea! We have so much zucchini growing right now, and I’ve been looking for new ways to use it!
If you love salsa, I would highly recommend trying it out! Makes great chicken for tacos too if you throw a jar in with some chicken in the slow cooker.
We have been using this recipe for several years with rave reviews EVERY time. In fact, I often freeze grated zucchini and chopped tomatoes to make this salsa when I’m NOT in the middle of canning everything else. We like ours a little spicier so usually add a few jalapenos. This year, I’m not growing zucchini so will reverse amounts of tomatoes and zucchini.
It’s funny how people LOVE this recipe!! I never thought of freezing zucchini and tomatoes for this. Great tip! Thanks.
It took me awhile, but I finally made this recipe and it’s AMAZING! So good. I would make it again in a heartbeat (after I get through the dozen jars in my pantry)!
Yay! I love it when others love this recipe as much as my family.
Made this yesterday and it was fabulous. Do you think I could use yellow squash also to make the 10 cups?
Yes! I am pretty sure I did that one year with some of both. So glad you liked it.
Hello Lindsay! Thanks for the great recipe I can’t wait to try it. Someone gifted me a zucchini the size of a baby! Lol! My question is can you freeze this instead of canning it?
Thanks a bunch😎😍
Showmechic1
I have never frozen it before because I make such big batches so I am not really sure. I have heard of others freezing salsa before with success, though. Enjoy!
How many pint or quart jars does this recipe make? Sounds delicious. Cant wait to make a batch.
Gosh it seems silly that I really don’t have a clue because most years I double the recipe and we eat a bunch fresh! I never wrote down how many jars a regular batch makes. But I do know that when I use pint jars it is a full canner or more, so at least 6 or 7 pints. Sorry I’m not more helpful with that.
Can the zucchini be chopped instead of grated?
That could work, but I like to use my food processor so that it is smaller. You could make it more chunky though.
This is the best salsa that anyone who as ever had it has ever had. I share this link with everyone who asks for ‘my’ recipe. There was even a small bidding war on the last jar in existence at my last family reunion from people who had received some for Christmas from me!
Thank you!
I love this!! I agree that so many people I know always say it is the best!
Really good , I played around with it to my taste !!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. So easy and delicious! I can’t wait for my grandchildren to taste this salsa!
Can you use honey in place of the brown sugar? I cannot have any kind of cane sugar.
I don’t see why not. Maybe start with a small batch and see how it goes. Let me know how it works.
Do you need to blanche the tomatoes to get the skin off in this recipe?
I do not as we don’t notice them, but you can if you prefer to.
Well, I made your recipe yesterday and today. I love it. I just tweaked the vinegar amount to 1 1/2 cups (instead of 2) and 3 tbsp cornstarch (instead of 2) because I like a thicker salsa. Yum, you have outdone yourself. This is a great, great, great recipe. Did I say great? Its work, but its worth it!