Looking for How to Make Pickled Bread-And-Butter Zucchini at Home Easily! With Step-by-step Directions, Photos in 2024?  Scroll down this page and  follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions . There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above.  If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days .

If you have questions or feedback, please let me know ! There are affiliate links on this page.  Read our disclosure policy to learn more. 

How to Make Pickled Bread-And-Butter Zucchini at Home Easily! With Step-by-step Directions, Photos

Yield: 8 to 9 pint jars

Click here for a PDF print version (coming soon)

Making and canning your own bread and butter zucchini pickles is relatively easy and inexpensive with this traditional and tested (USDA / Ball Blue Book) recipe.  Anyone with a garden knows you will soon have more zucchini that you can eat or give away, so here's a way to preserve (pickle) them to enjoy in the cold winter months.  And it's less than $1 per pint jar! Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated.   It is much faster than the old method your grandmother used with tons of pickling salt and de-scumming the brine! Ugh!  This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this!  It's a great thing to do with your kids!

If you want to make cucumber bread and butter pickles, see this page instead or click here for regular zucchini pickles .  And see this page for a great and easy Zucchini Bread !

Ingredients

Yield: About 8 to 9 pints

• 16 cups fresh zucchini, sliced
• 4 cups onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
• 4 cups white vinegar (5%)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tbsp mustard seed
• 2 tbsp celery seed
• 2 tsp ground turmeric

Equipment

• 1 Water Bath Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at big box stores and grocery stores.).  Note: we sell many sizes and types of canners for all types of stoves and needs - see canning supplies
• Half pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at grocery stores, like Safeway, Publix, Kroger, grocery stores, even online - about $13 per dozen 8-ounce jars, more for quilted design or larger jars, including the lids and rings).   
• Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.  They may only be used once.
• Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars.  They may be reused many times.
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) 
• Lid lifter (I like the lid rack that holds 12 lids or you can pull them out one at a time with the lid-lifter that has a magnet from the almost-boiling water where you sanitize them. ($4 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page)
• Jar funnel ($5 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page)
• 1 large pot ; Nonstick ceramic coated pots for easy cleanup.
• Large spoons and ladles ,

Directions - Step by Step

Step 1 - Slice and Brine

Slice the ends off the zucchini and onions and then slice them lengthwise into quarters. Cover the zucchini and onion slices with 1 inch of water and salt. Let the mix stand for 2 hours.

Step 2 - Drain

Drain (and discard) the liquids from the zucchini and onions.  Rinse the zucchini and onions thoroughly in a colander or drainer.

Step 3 - Mix the spices, vinegar and heat

Combine the

• 4 cups white vinegar (5%)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tbsp mustard seed
• 2 tbsp celery seed
• 2 tsp ground turmeric

in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Step 4 - Add the zucchini and onions

Add the zucchini and onions. Simmer 5 minutes.

Step 5 - Fill the canning jars

Fill the jars with zucchini/onion mixture and pickling solution, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.

Adjust lids and rings snugly.

Step 6 - Process in a water bath canner

Process according to the recommendations in the table below or for more crispy, crunch zucchini pickles, use the low-temperature pasteurization treatment. Click here to see "Low-Temperature Pasteurization Treatment," .

Low Temperature Pasteurization Treatment

The following low temperature pasteurization treatment can be used to prevent excessive softening.

This treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage.

Place jars in a canner filled half-way with warm water (120° to 140° F). Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180° to 185° F water temperature for 30 minutes. Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180° F during the entire 30 minutes.

This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 1994, reviewed June 2006.

Pickle Making Problems? Pickling FAQs Frequently asked questions and answers

Home Canning Kits

This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, Jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You will never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a Pressure Canner , if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here !

How to make other pickles -  recipes and instructions:

• Refrigerator pickles (no canning required)
• C ucumber pickle relish
• Pickled beets
• Pickled green beans
• Pickled dilled okra

This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2006.

Reviewed May 2009.

Tips

Comments and Feedback

Canning Books, Supplies and Accessories

These are my favorite essential canning tools, books and supplies. I've been using many of these for over 50 years of canning! The ones below on this page are just the sampling of. my preferred tools. but you can find much more detailed and extensive selections on the pages that are linked below.

• Vacuum Foodsealers for freezing, dried foods, and refrigerated foods - the FoodSaver line
• Selecting a KitchenAid mixer and attachments for home canning
• Steam Juicers
• Strainers, pit removers, seed-skin-stem removers, jelly strainers, et c. All types, makes and prices (from $19 to $350)
• Cherry pitters reviews , prices and ordering
• Food dehydrators - easy and fast to dry your own fruits, veggies, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.

Pressure Canners

If you plan on canning non-acidic foods and low acid foods that are not pickled - this means: meats, seafood, soups, green beans corn, most vegetables, etc., then you ABSOLUTELY must use a Pressure Canner .

Of course, you can use a pressure canner as a water bath canner as well - just don't seal it up, so it does not pressurize. This means a Pressure Canner is a 2-in-1 device. With it, you can can almost ANYTHING.

There are also other supplies, accessories, tools and more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here !

Canning Supplies Starter Kit - Canning Jar Lifter, Canning funnel, Scissor Tongs, more

Basic Canning Accessories

From left to right:

1. Jar lifting tongs  to pick up hot jars
2. Lid lifter - to remove lids from the pot of boiling water (sterilizing )
3. Lids - disposable - you may only use them once
4. Ring - holds the lids on the jar until after the jars cool - then you remove them, save them and reuse them
5. Canning Jar funnel - to fill the jars