In a Pickle: Curried Pickled Zucchini

Judging from the number of emails to hit my inbox in recent days, we have now officially hit that phase of summer during which zucchini growth achieves warp speed. Mild-mannered backyard gardens turn into round-the-clock squash production facilities and if you're not careful to look under every leaf, you'll wake up one morning to a zucchini the size of a baseball bat.

There are a number of ways to deal with the zucchini onslaught. You can stuff them, grate them into quick bread batter, or turn them into any number of pickles, relishes, and preserves. Some years, I do zucchini slices in a bread and butter pickle brine and other years I treat them just like cucumbers and submerge them in apple cider vinegar spiked with dill seed and plenty of garlic.

This year, I decided to go with a slightly sweet curried zucchini pickle. The end result is a pickle that is sweet without being cloying, pleasantly tangy and vividly yellow.

Before You Get Started

If you have a mandoline, slicing the zucchini takes all of three minutes. If not, a little careful knife-work will do.

Try to keep the turmeric off your countertops, as it can cause stubborn staining.

If you like a spicy pickle, add a pinch of red chili to the pickling liquid.