Storing summer

Hot zucchini relish

Near the end of summer, I often tell myself I must plant less zucchini next year, but when the time comes I always seem to plant more. Zucchini is a wonderful vegetable to grow as it doesn’t require much work, the seeds are easy to raise, and the zucchini itself tastes great in so many forms. You can even eat the flowers stuffed and fried in batter. When you have a glut of this lovely vegetable, or just want something to top your hot dog, burger, or toasted sandwich, then this is perfect. A good mix of sweet, sour and heat.

These measurements are a base. If you have double the amount of zucchini then double the amount of everything. Savvy?

What you need

6 cups chopped zucchini (any variety, hopefully home-grown)
2 x onions
3 x fresh chillies
1/2 green capsicum
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 yellow capsicum
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
olive oil

How to

1. Chop the vegetables (somewhere between rough and fine).
2. Place the veg (except for the chilli) in a large mixing bowl and cover with salt. Mix well and let it sit overnight.
3. In the morning, drain the liquid that has formed from the bowl. Don’t drink it.
4. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add the drained vegetables and cook, stirring often, for at least 10 minutes. This process will soften the veg.
5. When the veg is cooked through, add the sugar, vinegar, spices and finely chopped chilli. Stir well and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Decant in to sterilised jars and label 'See, I Can Make Relish'.

Dill pickled cucumbers

There are all sorts of cucumbers you can grow. I tended to stick with the Lebanese variety only because it’s what I grew up with. That is until someone shared some seeds to grow dill-pickling cucumbers with me. They were prolific! I didn’t need to do much for them − just popped them in the ground and watered them. They seem to flower all summer (pretty plant and flowers, too) and the amount of fruit off one plant is astonishing! Intrigued by the 'fact' that they were dill-pickle variety, I decided to attempt to pickle some and was delighted when I opened the first jar after impatiently waiting the normal few weeks to allow the vinegar to work its magic. These turned out better than store-bought. They work their best on a hamburger − that’s a no brainer. But they also work well on toasted focaccia with good, honey−roasted ham or basically any meat and cheese. Let’s face it, if you like gherkin you’ll eat them with almost anything. Okay, not yoghurt. Whatever.

What you need

cucumbers (all sizes and shapes, but see if you can get the variety best suited to pickling)
2 onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic
2 large fresh chillies
1 litre white vinegar
1 cup sugar
500-700ml apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dried dill
1 1/2 tablespoons black mustard seed
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorn
1/2 tablespoon dried fennel seed
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
cooking salt

How to

1. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into thin pieces. Do the same with the onions. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with cooking salt and toss. If you have small cucumbers, pop them in whole.
2. Cover and leave for 2 hours. Drain the liquid that has gathered from the bowl.
3. Place all the cucumbers into sterilised jars with the dill. Pop all the other ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
4. Stir the mix well and then while hot, pour over the cucumbers in the jars and seal the lids tightly. Flip the jars upside down to ensure they don’t leak.
5. Store for a minimum of 2 weeks before opening.

Whole Larder Love by Rohan Anderson, published by Viking, RRP $37

In Whole Larder Love, modern-day hunter-gatherer Rohan Anderson shares tips and instructions for setting up a home garden, the best practices for hunting and fishing, guidance on how to identify and collect edible food growing in the wild, and exciting recipes for cooking your harvests. Whole Larder Love is perfect for rural food lovers, farmers, hunters, gardeners and urbanites looking to inject their lives with a little rural romance.