You go one morning to check the garden for any ripe produce. There's a zucchini there that is still a bit puny, but should be ready by the next day. You forget to check in the morning, but remember and look after dinner. It has gone from the size of a hot-dog to the size of your arm in less than 2 days! Yikes! What are you going to do with all that zucchini?!
I have the answer! SALSA! My sister canned some delicious zucchini salsa last summer (that I sampled on a recent trip to her house--YUM!), but I hadn't considered a zucchini salsa verde until I stumbled on this recipe from Everyday Southwest. It looked delicious, but with the large quantities of zucchini I had, I was hoping to can some for the coming months. So I found this recipe for canning salsa verde from Ball. I pulled from both to come up with my version.
We loved it! I hope you do, too!
In a large stock-pot combine finely chopped (I used my food-processor) zucchini, tomatillos, jalapeno and poblano peppers, sweet onion, garlic, and cilantro. Add lime juice and zest, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, vinegar, and honey. Mix well.
Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes, until all ingredients begin to soften.
Prepare 2 quarts of canning jars. Fill to 1/4 inch from rims. Process in water bath for 15 min (half-pints), 20 min (pints), 25 min (quarts).
Or serve it right up. Store unused in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
I had two of these soft tacos. And then spooned some more salsa right onto my plate and ate it with a bit of sour cream. Tortilla chips are optional. :)
Zucchini Salsa Verde
Makes 2 quarts
Ingredients:
5-6 cups finely chopped zucchini (adjust according to how many peppers you use)
3 cups finely chopped tomatillos
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional, depending on your heat preference)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of chopped cilantro
Zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more = hotter salsa)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
1/3 cup white vinegar
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a stock pot. Heat and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, or until all ingredients have softened.
2. To Can: Ladle hot salsa into prepared canning jars (this will make approximately 2.5 quarts). Wipe rims, place sanitized lids and rings. Process in a water bath for 15 min (half-pint); 20 min (pint); 25 min (quart). Remove and let cool. Store for 1 year.
3. To use soon: May be served warm, or cooled and stored in the fridge. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 weeks. (This is my best guess--the vinegar should help it last at least that long).
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