I made a double batch of zucchini relish. I was just about to jar it up when I got called away for a medical emergency and left everything as it was after turning off the heat under the pot of relish. The relish did not boil but was in the process of heating up. Anyway, here it is today and I am pretty sure everything is still safe to jar up as the veggies have been sitting in a mixture of vinegar, sugar and spices overnight. I have medical issues myself and getting this far into canning takes a toll on me physically so I would hate to toss out all that work and start cutting up all those veggies again. My question is; would you think the zucchini relish is safe to jar up now?
by Mailman211
8 Comments
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Did you refrigerate the relish after taking off heat? If so, it should be fine to heat back up to temperature. (I assume you have to reach a boil?) Then you should be able to pack and process according to your recipe.
Unfortunately since it was left at room temp overnight it’s not safe. Relish is a food that requires refrigeration unless it’s in a sealed jar that hasn’t been opened since being processed.
In theory, I guess canning would sterilize the food and kill the pathogens that developed overnight.
In reality, no tested and trustworthy recipe would recommend taking spoiled food and preserving it. And in canning, the “tested and trustworthy” concept takes ultimate priority.
Unfortunately it belongs in the trash. Sorry for your loss.
I would definitely not take the risk after it sat out all night 😕
Yah. The heartbreak of canning. ☹️. I tossed it. The good news is that the boarer bugs haven’t killed off my yellow squash or zucchini plants as of yet and there are more squash to be had. I shall persist and make more!
So sorry for your canning loss can I have the recipe
They have attachments that click into the front top of your kitchen aid or they have slap choppers that might make processing this batch a little easier and faster. Sorry about your loss