Ever wonder what to do with giant zucchinis and squashes?

I have been involved with a group of international wives in Blacksburg, VA whose husbands are students/scholars at Virginia Tech. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these ladies through learning about their cultures as well as sharing all kind of "strange" things that we do here in America. One of those things is canning food, which our friends had never done before.

Last week, one of our lovely host ladies had us over to show us how the whole canning process works. I have done some canning. But the extend of my canning only goes as far as making a few jars of jam. Sarah (our lovely hostess of the morning) doesn't only know everything there is to know about canning, she's the Proverb 31 woman that I always envision. She has three children, a beautiful house in the country where she and her husband raise a cow, some goats, and any plants I have ever heard of, from zucchinis to grapes. I have regularly heard from Sarah things like "Oh, I made cheese last week," or " I make my own soap." On top of that, Sarah is a nurse. Incredible, I know! I often wonder if the woman ever sleeps.

Sarah led us into her little kitchen where two giant pots sat on the stove, one was a regular water bath canning pot and the other was a hard core pressure cooker, rather intimidating. As she walks us through different kinds of canning processes, Sarah pulled out jars after jars of canned goods from pickles to peaches that she and her family have done over the years. One specialty that is described as a regular at her house is a zucchini sweet relish. The recipe was passed down from Sarah's husband's grandmother. The main ingredient for this relish is overgrown zucchinis or squashes. She showed us a few of these giants and they are about the size of your arms.
Sarah was also gracious enough to share with us her recipe as well as allowing me to post it on my blog. This recipe has won a local contest here in Virginia.

Sarah Broomell's Zucchini Sweet Relish
Yields 15 cups

Combine:
10 Cups grated zucchini (not peeled)
5 Tbsp. salt
3.5 cups onion (4 large onions)

Let stand over night. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then add:
2.5 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 tsp. each of nutmeg, turmeric, and dry mustard
2 Tbsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Green pepper
1 Red pepper

Bring all to a boil, stirring frequently, can use pimentos.

Place in clean jar, leaving 1/2 inch of head space, wipe rim clean. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

You can use this relish as a substitute in any recipe that calls for pickle relish such as egg salad, potato salad, serve it with hotdogs or hamburgers.

I am not a big fan of relishes but this sweet-and-savoriness together with a fusion of spices really won my heart over. I will have to try whipping up a few jars of this amazing condiment.