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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,".

USDA Recommended process time for Pickled Bread and Butter Zucchini in a boiling-water canner.
 Hot Packed Process Time at Altitudes of
Jar Size 0 - 1,000 ft 1,001 - 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft
Pints or Quarts 10 min 15 20

Step 7 - Remove from the canner

Remove the jars, let them cool in a draft-free place, and the store in a cool dark place.  They will be good for up to a year.  After that, the taste declines, but they're still safe, if the seals are intact and there are no signs of spoilage.








 


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!



Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Zucchini Pickles - makes 12 pint jars, 16 oz each*

Item Quantity Cost in 2024 Source Subtotal
Zucchini 30-36 (about 2 small per pint jar) free from the garden or a neighbor, or $3.00 at a PYO Pick your own $0
Canning jars (pint size, wide mouth), includes lids and rings 12 jars $10.00/dozen Grocery stores (Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.) $10.00
Vinegar 4 cups $0.99  Safeway,
Publix, Kroger, grocery stores
$0.99
Spices, sugar See above $3.00 Grocery stores (Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.) $3.00
Total $11.75 total
 or about  $0.98 per jar INCLUDING the jars - which you can reuse!
* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles,, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars!  Many products are sold in jars that will take the lids and rings for canning.  For example, Classico Spaghetti sauce is in quart sized jars that work with Ball and Kerr lids and rings. Note that the Classico's manufacturer does not recommend reuse of their jars: see what they have to say on this page:

How to make other pickles -  recipes and instructions:



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.

The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes Paperback

This is THE book on canning! My grandmother used this book when I was a child.; It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning vegetables, meats, etc.

If it can be canned, this book likely tells you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no obligation to buy)The New Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving

Canning and Preserving for Dummies by Karen Ward

This is another popular canning book. Click here for more information, reviews, prices for Canning and Preserving For Dummies

Of course, you do not need to buy ANY canning book as I have about 500 canning, freezing, dehydrating and more recipes all online for free, just see Easy Home Canning Directions.

Home Canning Kits


I have several canners, and my favorite is the stainless steel one at right. It is easy to clean and seems like it will last forever. Mine is 10 years old and looks like new.

The black ones are 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,  It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. It's only missing the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book.

You will never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! 

The complete list of canners is on these pages:

 

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!

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

FREE Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

Don't spend money on books. that you don't need to. Almost everything you can find in some book sold online or in a store is on my website here for free. Start with theEasy Home Canning Directions below. That is a master list of canning directions which are all based upon the Ball Bblue book, the National Center for Home Food Preservation and other reputable lab tested recipes. Almost every recipe I present in addition to being lab tested com. is in a step by step format with photos for each step and complete. explanations. that tell you how to do it, where to get the supplies and pretty much everything you need to know. In addition, there almost always in a PDF format so you can print them out and use them while you cook.

[ Easy Home Canning Directions]

[FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems]

[Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!]

[Free canning publications to download and print]

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