Do you have more zucchini than you know what to do with? This zucchini canning recipe is definitely one of the more interesting ones that I've made! It's a faux zucchini pineapple recipe. You start with several fresh zucchinis and end up with something that tastes just like canned pineapple.

August 8th is national Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day. My neighbors were safe because I found this faux zucchini pineapple zucchini canning recipe.

I was looking for recipes like zucchini relish or perhaps even a zucchini salsa. Instead, I found what has to be the oddest canning recipe I've ever seen.

I asked my dad about it since his mom canned a lot of foods when he was growing up. My grandmother lived during the depression, so it sounded like something she would definitely make.

He said my grandmother had never made it, but my aunt did make it. I asked her, and she said it was amazing.

So I dug out my water bath canner and grabbed my vegetable peeler and got to work!

Zucchini Canning Recipe - Faux Zucchini Pineapple

Name: Zucchini Canning Recipe - Faux Zucchini Pineapple
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 cups chopped or shredded zucchini, washed and peeled; 46 ounces sugar free pineapple juice; 3 cups sugar; 1 1/2 cups lemon juice

After I made it, I posted it on my personal Facebook with a photo. I like to post my canning adventures there because several of my friends and family can, and we pass around tips and recipes.

Besides my aunt, no one had heard of this amazing recipe.

I wanted to try it because I regularly freeze zucchini slices to add to things like stir fry. My kids love homemade sweet and sour chicken with canned pineapple. I figured I'm adding zucchini to it anyway, so why not make a faux zucchini pineapple?

I ran to the store to get the ingredients and got to work. It looked a little...odd... at first but then I let it simmer for 20 minutes and starting filling my jars. The whole time I was crossing my fingers that I wasn't just wasting precious canning lids in the years of the canning lid shortage.

After I got the food in the jars, I figured I had to taste some before I go through the trouble of canning it all. I let a few bites cool and tasted them.

You guys. It tastes just like pineapple!

The taste was there. For sure it was there. The texture, however, was a teensy bit off. It wasn't exactly like a pineapple. It wasn't bad, and it definitely still tastes good.

We may eat this as a side dish, but I'll probably just use it in desserts and other dishes. I keep a few jars in rotation in my emergency food storage because we can use it in recipes or eat it plain.

Safe Canning

I don't want anyone to get sick, so I use safe and tested recipes. When I heard about this zucchini canning recipe for faux zucchini pineapple, I thought that there's no way that this is a real thing!

Well, it is! This is a tested and safe recipe per several trusted sources, including The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

So fear not. This is a legit recipe and perfectly safe to can at home in a water bath canner.

If you're new to canning, don't miss my must have canning supplies. Learn what you need for the first time canning and what can wait.

Preparing Your Zucchini for Canning

It's recommended that you peel your zucchini before making this zucchini canning recipe. The rind can harbor bacteria just from laying in the soil, so that gives you a little extra protection again germs when canning.

It also helps this faux zucchini pineapple look more like real pineapple. As you can see from the photos, besides a few stray seeds, it looks just like pineapple.

For 16 cups, I used about 4 zucchini but they were on the larger side. I peeled them and then cut them in half and then cut that in half to have a flat surface. Then I cut small strips and chopped those.

I did not remove the seeds except for the large zucchini. The rest I let go.

I've heard that you can also shred the zucchini to have faux shredded pineapple. Shredded zucchini tends to get watery, so I didn't try it. Maybe next year I'll try one jar to see how it goes.

Sugar

In some canning recipes, sugar is used as a preservative. It is not in this recipe, so you can omit it. I made it with real sugar, but next time I may try it with a sugar alternative.

My favorite sugar alternative is coconut sugar. You can also use liquid stevia or a sugar substitute. I would recommend adding less and adjusting it after the mixture boils.

I make low sugar and sugar free things for my neighbor, and sometimes they are just too sweet with a sugar alternative.

Faux Zucchini Pineapple Notes

You should have more than enough liquid because the zucchini will release liquid as it cooks. If you do need more liquid, bring pineapple juice to a boil and add that.
You can safely can the leftover juice. It will be sweet, so you probably want to use it in recipes and not just for drinking.
This makes 8-9 pints. You can safely cut it in half if you want.

Processing Times

For half pints or pints, follow the recommended times:

0-1000 feet 15 minutes
1001-6000 feet 20 minutes
Above 6000 25 minutes

Faux Zucchini Pineapple Ingredients

16 cups chopped or shredded zucchini, washed and peeled
46 ounces sugar free pineapple juice
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

Directions

Step #1

Wash and peel zucchini. Shred or cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Step #2

Combine cut zucchini, sugar, pineapple juice, and lemon juice in a large pan or stock pot. Bring to a boil and turn heat down. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Step #3

Fill clean and prepared jars with hot faux zucchini pineapple. Leave a 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, place lids on jars, and add rings. Process for 15 minutes or see above for high altitude times.

Step #4

When the time is up, carefully set jars on a towel or other heat proof surface. Let sit for 24 hours.

I hope you enjoy this zucchini canning recipe! Try one of my other canning recipes:

canning, zucchini

side dish

American

Yield: 18

Author: Cari @ Koti Beth