Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/09/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Increase boiling-water processing by elevation: 10 min at 0–1,000 ft; 15 min at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 min above 6,000 ft.
Source & provenance
Safety summary
Keep the tested zucchini, onion, 5% white vinegar, sugar, salt, and spice proportions. Do not reduce vinegar, increase vegetables, or skip the soak.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 10/15/20 min at 0–1,000 / 1,001–6,000 / above 6,000 ft
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. This recipe follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation source. Follow its quantities and complete process exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars, canner, and ingredients.
- Slice zucchini and onions, complete the 2-hour salted-water soak, drain thoroughly, then simmer 5 minutes in the tested pickling liquid.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Cool jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, large nonreactive pot, colander, jar lifter, and pint or quart canning jars.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; remove trapped air and maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Boiling-water canning; the source also permits its exact low-temperature pasteurization treatment; use the schedule for your altitude and canner type.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed before checking seals.
Safety essentials
Tested NCHFP acidified pickle recipe. Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and retain the tested proportions. Use the low-temperature pasteurization alternative only exactly as directed by NCHFP.
About this recipe
Pickled Bread-and-Butter Zucchini is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe using hot pack and boiling-water canning; the source also permits its exact low-temperature pasteurization treatment.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning; the source also permits its exact low-temperature pasteurization treatment
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Read the linked authoritative source completely before processing.
Altitude and processing schedule
10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Pickled Bread-and-Butter Zucchini — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 16 cups fresh zucchini sliced
- 4 cups onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
- 4 cups white vinegar 5% acidity
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 tbsp mustard seed
- 2 tbsp celery seed
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner For the documented boiling-water process.
- 8–9 Pint or quart canning jars Yield about 8–9 pints.
- 8–9 Two-piece canning lids Use new flat lids and prepare according to manufacturer directions.
Directions
- Cover zucchini and onion slices with 1 inch of water and the salt. Let stand 2 hours, then drain thoroughly.
- Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
- Add zucchini and onions and simmer 5 minutes.
- Fill hot jars with mixture and pickling solution, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply lids.
- Process pints or quarts 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 6,000 ft. The tested low-temperature pasteurization alternative may also be used when following NCHFP directions exactly.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve chilled alongside sandwiches, burgers, beans, or a cheese board.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the ingredients or process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by the authoritative source. Keep the tested zucchini, onion, 5% white vinegar, sugar, salt, and spice proportions. Do not reduce vinegar, increase vegetables, or skip the soak.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process if the source and current food-safety guidance permit.
How this recipe compares
Unlike cucumber bread-and-butter pickles, this tested version uses zucchini while retaining a specifically tested acid-to-vegetable ratio.
Troubleshooting
Drain the soaked vegetables thoroughly so retained water does not dilute the tested brine.
Discard any jar that is leaking, bulging, spurting, moldy, or otherwise shows signs of spoilage. Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Pickled Bread-and-Butter Zucchini. Adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: All Year
Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–25 lb of Pickling cucumbers per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.