Home-Grown Zucchini Pickle

In mid-September, I picked our last few trombetta zucchini for the season and commemorated them in brine. I.e., I made pickles.

Zucchini don’t usually make good pickles—they’re too soft and mushy—but I had high hopes for the trombettas, because they’re firm and crisp, like cucumbers.

And you know what? They make fantastic pickles. Snappy in texture and tart-sweet. I’ve been eating them with burgers, grilled steak, and pan-seared fish.

Trombetta Zucchini Pickles

MAKES about 4 cups TIME About 30 minutes

2 cups cider vinegar1 cup sugar1/2 tsp. turmeric5 whole cloves2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds1 tsp. celery seed1/4 tsp. ground ginger1/2 tsp. red chile flakes2 tsp. salt1 onion, sliced into half-moons1 lb. trombetta zucchini, cut into 1/4-in. slices

1. Put all ingredients except the onion and the zucchini in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer; simmer your pickling liquid for 10 minutes, then return the heat to high and bring back to a boil. Add onion and cook 1 minute. Add zucchini, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, pressing slices down under the surface of the liquid with a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.2. Transfer pickle to 2 very clean pint jars. Pickle keeps, chilled, up to 4 months.