Extra Zucchini? How to Make Zucchini Relish

Here are instructions for the zucchini relish I mentioned in yesterday's post about what to do with oversize (or extra) zucchini. The below recipe should yield about 1½ quarts of relish. Store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator; it'll stay for weeks, if not months (assuming you don't eat it all sooner). It works great with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chicken and by itself. Also, if you don’t have exact measurements on the vegetables, it's not the end of the world. Halving or doubling the recipe works.

• 5 cups zucchini, small dice (¼" X ¼" X ¼", or smaller if you can)
• 2 cups onion, small dice
• 1½ cups carrot, small dice
• 1 cup red pepper, small dice
• 2 tablespoons unrefined sea salt
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ cups sugar (or up to 2 cups if you want relish very sweet)
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with a little water at a time until a paste forms
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a bowl, combine the four chopped vegetables with the salt and let stand for 3 hours. Drain liquid.

In a pot over medium heat, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil. Add drained vegetables and lower heat so mixture simmers. Stir constantly for about 25 to 35 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Let cool slightly and pour mixture into glass jar(s). Let cool a little more and then refrigerate.