Name: Canning Yellow Squash
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 h 25 min
Yield: 5 pints
Ingredients: 5 - 6 yellow squash, sliced; 5-6 pint size canning jars, cleaned and sterilized; 9 - cups of water; 1/2 - cup 5% acidy vinegar; 1/2 - cup sugar; 1/2 - teaspoon sea, kosher or canning salt (per jar)

Quick picked squash is a great method for preserving yellow squash in a light brine, ensuring it remains firm for frying later. Simply drain, rinse, coat in breading, and fry.

Summer Squash Season is officially in full swing, which means farmers markets and home gardens are bursting with yellow, zucchini, and patty pan squash. If you're growing your own summer squash they are likely producing heavily right now in the summer heat. ☀ This isn't a problem for me because summer squash, espcially yellow straigh neck squash happens to be one of my favorite vegetables.

To help you make the most out of your harvest, I am going to show you how to preserve those beauties so you can enjoy your summers bounty year-round. Freezing summer squash has been my go-to method, especially for casseroles and soups, as well as breading and freezing some for frying.

However, this year I discovered a canning technique that allows summer squash to be preserved perfecltly for frying. I never really gave a thought to canning yellow squash, other than in a relish, mainly because it's a low-acid vegetable which requires pressure canning for safety. Unfortunately, this method often results in a mushy texture which isn't ideal for frying.

The recipe I found was processed in a water-bath canner, which definietly caught my attention. In order to safely preserve summer squash this way, it has to be acidified, which involves lightly pickling in a brine. Canning yellow or zucchini squash using this method results in firm squash that is ideal for frying.

You might be thining the same think I did....will the squash have a vinegar flavor? I'm happy to report that when the squash is rinsed after removing it from the jar, there is no vinegar taste. More than likely this is due to only using 1/2 cup vinegar in the recipe rather than using equal parts of vinegar to water.

However, I feel that I need to mention that this approach of canning squash is often viewed as a rebel canning method since it involves water-bath canning a low-acid food. The recipe's brine includes a vinegar with 5% acidity, which gives me confidence in the brines safety, but I encourage everyone to use their own judgement when trying this recipe out. With that being said let's get started and can some summer squash.

STEP 1: Gather all of your canning supplies: Hot water bath canner with a perforated rack, jars, lids, rings, jar lifter, and kitchen towel or mat. Wash the jars thoroughly in hot soapy water with a splash of vinegar. Set the jars aside to air dry on a dish towel until ready to use.

STEP 2: Prepare the water-bath canner: Place the rack in the bottom fo the canner, fill the water-bath canner halfway with water, and preheat on the stove to 140°F for raw-packed foods. Place the jars into the canner to keep warm until ready to fill.

STEP 3: Prepare the squash: Rinse the squash well, under running water to remove any dirt. Cut off the stem and blossom end, and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Set the squash aside in a bowl.

STEP 4: Prepare the brine: by combining the water, vinegar and sugar. Bring the brine to a light boil and heat just until the sugar is dissolved.

STEP 5: While the brine is heating up, raw pack the squash slices into clean and sterilized jars.

STEP 6: Add 1/2 teaspoon salt into each jar,.

STEP 7: Ladle the warm brine into the jars making sure to leave a 1-inch headspace.

STEP 8: Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, and add a lid and ring to each jar and turn to finger tip tight.

STEP 8: Lower the jars into the canner (make sure the water cover the jars by 1 inch) and bring the water to a boil.

STEP 10: Reduce heat to a light boil, cover and process jars for 10 minutes. When the processing time is up, remove the lid and leave the jars into the canner for an additional 5 minutes before removing to a cloth lined counter to cool completely.

STEP 11: Cool the jar for 12 hours before removing the rings. Check to make sure all of the lids sealed and then rinse the jars under soapy water to clean the rims.