Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Canning Italian Zucchini in Stewed Tomatoes



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Our garden is our Green way of living on a lot 80 x 120. We avoid toxic chemicals, GMO seeds and harmful insecticides. We have well water---so even the chemicals used in processed water are avoided.

Though this year everything is late the garden...IT'S Going CRAZY all at once for a change, except for our peppers, which will be ready next week. Only thing I had to purchase for Mabel and Sandi's Italian Zuchinni in Stewed Tomatoes was the peppers, celery, and onions, and lemon juice.



This is an old family favorite. My mom and I concocted in the 1970's to replace our favorite shelf staple of 'Delmonte' Stewed Zuchinni, as stores weren't carrying it anymore. We used the label ingredients and improvised a bit and this is the version we came up with.



Prepare tomatoes: I use these techniques in my last post: Preparing Garden Tomatoes for Canning



MABEL and SANDI's
Italian Zucchini in Stewed Tomatoes Makes about 7 Quarts or 14 pints.

Stewed Tomatoes:

2 quarts of peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of chopped peppers (green, yellow or orange)(sweet)
1/8 cup of minced spicy pepper or 1/4 tsp of hot pepper flakes (optional)

hand chop or put in electric chopper
1 head of garlic cleaned
1/4 cup of chopped parsley/cilantro
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil.
1/8 cup of chopped fresh oregano
(you can use dried herbs if you desire, I've used Italian herb mix in the past)
bring the above ingredients just to a boil, process or move on to adding the zucchini.

(Stewed Tomatoes alone can be hot packed into hot jars and processed in a water bath canner---follow instructions from your favorite canning resource. In each jar, I add 1Tbsp of lemon juice and 1tsp canning salt to each quart, or 1/2Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. canning salt to each pint. This is your preservative, lemon for color and acidity and salt for preservation and flavor.


To make the Stewed Zuchinni add sliced zucchini to the stewed tomatoes. The rest of this recipe MUST be pressure canned!


ADD:
Add 12 cups of cut up zucchini and or summer squash (skins included) I cutaway any large seeds.
Bring to boil and simmer for 30-45 min. until almost totally cooked through (The zucchini will be somewhat transparent.)


Ladle into hot/sterilized jars.







MUST ADD THESE:
for Quarts ADD 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt  (Lemon juice maintains acidic balance, salt is for preserving)  clean rims, add hot seals

Process  for 35 min at 10# in pressure canner -following manufacturer's instructions.

for Pints -ADD 1 Tsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. salt

Process for 30 min at 10# in pressure canner-following manufacturer's instructions.



Flavors mingle and intensify during canning.  Add extra herbs/salt/or even sugar to taste when opened. Always reheat home processed canned goods to boil-temp before eating.


Remove from canner and cover with a few towels to let your jars cool down slowly.

ENJOY fresh tomatoes/zucchini all winter long.

Flavors mingle and intensify during pressure canning.  But, you can always add extra herbs/salt/or even sugar to taste when opened. Always heat home-canned goods to boil-temp before eating.

Great with served with sausage, hamburger, in soup, or served as a side dish with any pasta.

We got 2 quarts and 6 pints from this recipe, being two people the pints are the perfect size.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

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23 comments:

  1. Sounds wonderful, Sandi! It will be so nice to have some jars of "summer" to enjoy as it gets cooler!

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    Replies
    1. These are definitely jars of summer, great description! Thanks for visiting.

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  2. Oh I'm pinning this great recipe ! Thank you for sharing, my kinda thing.
    Fabby

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    1. Thanks Fabby, you can certainly tweak the seasonings---to your favorite tastes.

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  3. Wondering if using green tomatoes would increase the acidity enough to water bath safely?

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    1. Hi Cori, I think here is a good referral for your question, as I have only used green tomatoes in pickling recipes...(great for adding to cukes for relish). They are very tart, so I wonder how you would balance out the Zuchinni thing? Hope this helps!

      https://www.healthycanning.com/green-tomato-canning-recipes/

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  4. Why so long to cook the tomatoes and zucchini? I would think bringing it to a sustained boil and then canning it would be adequate as it is a soft product to begin with and would turn to mush. Just wondering---

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    1. Hi, it is for Safety. The acid content in the mixture is reduced because of the celery, zucchini, and peppers. The safe recommendation by the Canner company (Mirro), and Ball canning book, recommend the long pressure cooking time. You could add the zucchini and just heat to boiling to fill the hot jars. An alternative is to freeze the cooked on the stove mixture in freezer bags. I have done this with extra when I had more than the pressure cooker could hold. Thanks for stopping by! Sandi

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  5. Is there a specific reason why when the zucchini is added to the recipe that is requires pressure cooking? can it not just be put into boiling water to seal the jars? Thank you

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    1. It really is the Zuchinni mostly which is a low acid squash. I do water bath sauces with onions/peppers/herbs, but I eliminate sugar from the recipes and then double time in a water bath. Adding salt and lemon juice also is necessary for good results.

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  6. I think its the peppers that make it necessary to pressure can it. Anyone to confirm or negate it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really is the Zuchinni mostly which is a low acid squash. I do water bath sauces with onions/peppers/herbs, but I eliminate sugar from the recipes and then double time in a water bath. Adding salt and lemon juice also is necessary for good results.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I have made tomato and zucchini sauce before and boiled it all and frozen it. If I want to can this and don't have a pressure canner, can I just process longer?

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    1. I wouldn't recommend that, I use the Ball Canning Jar directions as well as Mirro Canning directions, along with a Farm Journal cookbook I have had for many years. Freezing is an excellent option, and I do that in quart bags after cooking the Zucchini in sauce until tender.

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  9. Thanks so much!! I guess it's into the freezer it goes!! Hope I use it all up before moving day! 😁

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  10. How long are you supposed to pressure can this? Did I miss the time?

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    1. 30 minutes, but the author didn't state if for pints or quarts. They also said 10 lb of pressure so if you're new to canning and don't PC at your elevation you won't be making a shelf stable food

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    2. Yes, 30 min. for either jars. We've kept canned zuchinni for as long as 4 years this way, and it still tastes and smells fresh when reheating. Always bring home canned foods to a boil before serving (except for those with high vinegar content such as pickles or jellies and jams.

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  11. Love this idea! You can only make so many zucchini cookies and this sounds so much more nourishing!

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    Replies
    1. It's so delish---and you can alter the seasonings to what ever profile you want, or leave plain and add when using. Thanks for the comment!

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  12. Is it really only 2 quarts of chopped tomatoes for 14 pints. Just stewed tomatoes no zucchini

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    1. Hi, sorry missed this comment, 2 quarts of tomatoes is actually 8 cups of tomatoes...assuming you can in pint jars---you end up with roughly 22-24 cups with the zucchini (which has high water content)---will make a pressure canner size batch or 8-10 jars. For stewed tomatoes only---just double or triple the quantities of tomatoes and as well as the other vegetables. Happy Canning--!

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Thank you for any and all comments. I will be happy to answer any questions or comments in replies or email! HUGS!