Canning Summer Squash
October 20, 2009|Comments (22)
Summer squashes should be enjoyed all year long, don’t you think? They are a little bit of heaven on the squash scale. Just what qualifies as a summer squash, you ask? Think of your favorites: zucchini, pattypan, and yellow crookneck. Known for having thin skin and cooking quickly, these squash are full of flavor and are wonderful served as a side or added to other dishes. Now… to make them last!
First, you will need a bushel of summer squash. If you are curious about just how much food makes up a bushel… fear not, for someone posted the U.S. Commercial Bushel Sizes in chart form online. So helpful! Anyway, I washed them in cool salted water using a vegetable brush and rinsed them well. This is a good time to boil your quart or pint jars and lids. I opted not to use pint jars for this particular canning venture for two main reasons: 1.) I did not want to wash, boil, and pack that many jars and 2.) I did not want to wash, boil, and pack that many jars. I am a lazy home-canner, y’all.
Now, chop them into bite-sized pieces. Don’t worry about peeling them. Herein lies the beauty of canning summer squash: no removing seeds and no peeling. Bliss, I tell you.
Place the chopped squash in a kettle and cover them with water. Heat to a boil — then boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rack in the bottom of your pressure canner and add boiling water to the proper fill line (see the directions for your particular pressure canner). Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the water in the pressure canner which keeps film from forming on the jars during processing.
Using a slotted spoon, dish out the boiled squash and fill each jar within an inch of the top. Place 1/2 teaspoon of canning salt on the squash. Ladle boiling water over the squash until just covered (maintain the inch head space). Remove bubbles in the jar. Use a magnet to lower a lid on the jar and then secure the lid in place with a ring. Now, place the jar in the canner. Repeat.
Process pints for 30 minutes or quarts for 40 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Be sure you follow the directions you have for your canner so that you don’t have any mishaps. Also, do not expedite the cooling process in any way. Then, just soak in the results of your labor:
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That’s a great idea! I bet they’ll taste wonderful…
Cheers,
Rosa
I love yellow squash! I also love that I can pour out a jar of squash into a casserole dish, gently heat it, and then serve it with pepper or nutmeg. Dinner in minutes and it didn’t come from a box and was not laced with preservatives. Good clean food.
We call them: yellow courgettes( zucchini )!!!
My father has had them in his garden!!
I So love them,..MMMMMMMMM!! Thanks for those useful tips!!
Looks good! I don’t have a pressure canner so I usually just freeze them.
Sophie — I have made a courgette souffle in the past… now your comment has me wondering if I could make a yellow courgette souffle. I bet that would be gorgeous!
ydavis –
I have blanched and frozen them before I got my pressure cooker/canner. Having limited freezer space isn’t so bad when one can put almost everything in quart jars on shelves.
Wish you lived closer! We could share and swap from our gardens!
Just bought me a pressure canner. Have yet to post about it although I did post a pic of it tonight on FB. I have only done beets. Looking forward to the endless oppurtunities canning next garden season. Never thought to put up summer squash this way.
Kim — Congratulations on your new baby (pressure canner)! I know you’ll love it! I promise to post more pressure canning tutorials in the future.
Cool! And welcome back to the electronic world!
Warren — Thank you! I’m trying!
So pretty. I love squash.
Nice to “see” you, too.
Thank you, Julie!!! It’s nice to be back again.
I have yet to get a pressure canner. I have been wanting one for beans as i love the tenderness of canned beans. Perhaps next year or the year after I will get one. I haven’t even frozen summer squash except grated for making zucchini loaf. Hmmm… I did cut up a soft skinned pumpkin and it seemed to smell more like zucchini and was more solid when I cooked it. I labelled it as vegetable pumpkin in the freezer bags so we can have it as a vegetable rather than mashing for pumpkin pie which I have some more traditional looking and smelling pumpkin for.
Thanks for pictures and directions on pressure canning summer squash. This will be my first year canning. Living in Southern oklahoma and early summer squash is flowering and little babies are coming. Thanks for info.
was reading articles on internet about canning zuchinni and summer squash. All info seems to say that it is dangerous to even pressure can summer squash or zuchinni due to low acid and botulism. that it is better to freeze. Just wondering how long your family has been canning squash. Any comments on the process/
Hi Donna!
I’ve never had any trouble with home-canned goods. I process both acidic and nonacidic foods. I check to make sure that the lids have sealed properly and I use them within a year of canning them. You will probably find an article discussing the dangers of canning for every vegetable, yet generations of people have canned foods at home without incident. In fact, I would venture to say that there are more cases of botulism from commercially canned items (like the kind found on the shelves of your local grocery store) than from home-canned items.
Follow the directions carefully. Purchase the Blue Book of Canning (I’ll be giving one away in a few weeks). The recipes have been tested and if you follow them carefully, you’ll be able to enjoy your garden goods all year long.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for your comment.
Blessings,
Lacy
This is the best instructions for canning I have ever seen. Thanks
I canned a batch for the first time ever doing any pressure canning. The squash was really very mushy and about 1/2 of the fluid boiled up out of the jars. I thought I had the lids screwed on tight but I guess not tight enough. The jars did seal though. What am I doing wrong
Hi Norma!
Liquid levels may be too low after processing if jars were too full or packed too tightly. This causes the food to boil over during processing and a siphoning action occurs. Also, the liquid may be too low if air bubbles are not removed before processing. Sometimes, starchy foods will absorb water which creates lower liquid levels. Processing problems, such as fluctuating pressure within a pressure canner can also cause low liquid levels in the finished jars.
The canned squash will be mushy but works quite well in soups, casseroles, and other dishes.
As long as the jars have sealed properly, then you did just fine. I wouldn’t worry about the liquid levels.
Blessings and thanks,
Lacy
I thought it was a little too salty. Not sure if I processed too long in canner as it was soft. My husband does like it and is glad he will have it all winter.
My grandmother has canned all of her life and she just this year canned some squash but failed to cook for the suggested amount of time. She only left in the canner for 10-15 minutes on 10lbs of pressure. Is there any danger in eating this since most directions say to cook for 30-40 minutes?? Just wanted to know what you know about this