Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe

Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe is a salsa preserve to can in the summertime; a great holiday gift! This recipe today yielded about 26 pints of salsa!

My goal this year has been to not let any of our garden go to waste. So when my son Elliot asked to learn how to can, I was on it! Garden + Canning + Help = Mommy Love! :)

And we LOVE this Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe!

Canning salsa

Canning salsa is easy!

You may remember, here, where we planted 24 tomato plants.

Well, they are coming on like crazy right now! Zucchini, too!

And what perfect timing, as my son’s now home from U of O after a busy summer schedule.

When he wanted to help me can salsa, that was music to my ears … to get any help in the kitchen, without me asking for it, brings this Mama joy! :)

Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe

Together we gathered all the veggies and made a delicious salsa, inspired by my friend Cindy, who had our family over for a Mexican meal on a cold winter’s night for a delicious meal and ping pong tournament.

We pulled out our pint-size canning jars, but to be honest, this year I had to buy 3 new boxes of jars.

When you can a lot, and give the food items away, you don’t always get the jars back. But that’s okay. :)

When I heard the word “zucchini” in the salsa, I immediately thought about this time of year and our abundance of zucchini, because I’m always figuring a way to use it all.

We pulled out our KitchenAid food processor, which makes canning much easier and faster than when hand chopping or shredding!

2-day canning process

This recipe is a 2-day process. The first day we “shredded” the zucchini and the onions and the peppers and brined it overnight.

No chopping, just shredding. Brilliant! Mission accomplished.

The next day we chopped and mixed and cooked and canned.

Together we “put up” 24 pints of delicious sweet smokey salsa.

I love that term, “put up,” don’t you? It sounds so … old-fashioned and lovely!

I know my Mom and Grandma talked about canning that way. :)

Salsa canning tips:

-If using Roma tomatoes, you may get away with using less tomato paste.
-You can substitute parsley for the cilantro if needed.
-Always use kitchen gloves when cooking with jalapeno peppers.

It’s funny, everyone seems to have a “secret ingredient” when canning salsa. So we added in Liquid Smoke to get a “smokey” flavor.

To die for!

I loved it when my son said, Mom, this is better than writing a college lab! :)

Do you can salsa? If so, what’s your secret ingredient?

Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa Recipe

A delicious treat to can in the summertime and give the gift of your harvest away in pint-size jars for the holidays! YIELDS about 26 pints of salsa.

There’s lots of debate regarding whether you need to pressure can or just use water bath for canning salsa. Because this recipe has vinegar and canning salt, it adds enough preservative and brings up the acidity level to the point where pressure processing is not necessary. My recommendation for any canning is that you need to research yourself what is best for each recipe and the ingredients involved though!

Yield: 26 pints

Prep Time: 30 minutes + brine overnight

Cook Time: 15 minutes per canner

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 30 cups peeled shredded zucchini
• 12 small onions, shredded (6 large)
• 6 green peppers, chopped or shredded
• 6 red peppers, chopped or shredded
• 3/4 cup pickling salt
• 3 Tablespoons dry mustard
• 3 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 Tablespoons cumin
• 2 Tablespoons red chili powder
• 3 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
• 6 cups white vinegar
• 2 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups cilantro, chopped
• 10-15 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 tsp. ground pepper
• 15-20 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (leave skins on)
• 3-4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 12 oz. cans tomato paste

Directions:

1. Day ONE: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Day TWO: Rinse and drain the zucchini and onion mixture well.
3. Put into a large pot with all other ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Pour mixture into hot jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

All images and text ©Sandy Coughlin for Reluctant Entertainer.

There’s lots of debate regarding whether you need to pressure can or just use water bath for canning salsa. Because this recipe has vinegar and canning salt, it adds enough preservative and brings up the acidity level to the point where pressure processing is not necessary. My recommendation for any canning is that you need to research yourself what is best for each recipe and the ingredients involved though!