Why should cucumbers be the only pickled veggie?

Although this is our first summer living in our new loft, this isn’t our first summer without a garden. We’ve traveled more during the last few summers and, as such, haven’t had anything besides an herb garden. When you’re on the road even just a couple weekends a month, it takes a toll on your outdoor plants. So, we haven’t had to deal with a tidal wave of zucchini, but we’ve definitely experienced that phenomenon.

When you have more zucchini than you know how to handle, you learn how creative you are. Initially, you stick with the basics: sautéed zucchini, zucchini bread, zoodles, and zucchini cakes. Then you see that you still have more zucchini ready to be picked. We’ve shredded and frozen zucchini, which is nice in the winter, but eventually your freezer becomes full with all of the produce.

What’s one to do with even more zucchini? Pickle it! When we first made this recipe, I wasn’t sure how I (or others) would feel about it, and I’m not sure why. We all like regular pickles, so how different could a zucchini pickle be? What I happily discovered was that this version of pickles had all of the flavor, plus a satisfying texture. They’re differently firmer than a cucumber pickle yet have a subtle base flavor, so that they absorb the pickling herbs and liquids nicely. Plus, you can make a small batch just to enjoy now, or commit to an afternoon of pickling and canning.

Whether your counters are overflowing with your freshly picked harvest or you’re making a trip to the local farmstand, these Quick Pickled Zucchini are worth a try!