I got a lot of zucchini from my CSA this summer. It piled up week after week as I somehow was never able to use my measley 2-3 by the time I got another batch. However, with proper storage, they can last quite a while in the refrigerator. In an effort to pare down the supply, I had been grilling them and making zucchini bread. Then, magically, a post for zucchini pickles appeared on 101 Cookbooks. Something new to do with zucchini! Of course I was excited. The beautiful and mouth-watering photography makes it impossible not to try many of the recipes from the site.
I sliced the zucchini, onions and shallots (all local, yay!) paper-thin the night before, tossed them with salt, and popped them in the fridge to drain. The next day, I shook them off and after slicing the chile and adding the dill and spices to the jar, I filled the two pint jars with the zucchini mix and poured in the brine. While I left them on the counter to cool, they sealed. Oops! Oh well. (Note: this recipe is not tested for canning.) I gave one to Andrea, who had given me the chile to use, and kept one for us.
We didn't get around to eating this for quite a while - about 3 weeks. I figured since it was pickled it would be fine - pickles are pretty much indestructible. Turns out they were delicious! I brought them to a picnic I had with my friend Annette (yes, it is really cold for a picnic, thanks) and we ate them the way they are shown in one of the pictures on Heidi's blog post - whole grain bread smeared with goat cheese, piled high with zucchini pickles and sprinkled with pine nuts. It was even better than I thought it would be! They are slightly sweet, which usually doesn't do it for me when it comes to pickles, but they were truly delicious. There may still be some zucchini around - give it a try.
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