22 September 2026
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World Kitchen Journal
Zucchini like mushrooms for the winter
Technique
By Claire Beaumont, the Technique desk · · Russia · 6 min ·

Zucchini like mushrooms for the winter

Uncle Ben's zucchini salad has long been a popular winter preserve.

Step 1

Wash young zucchini up to 25 cm long and trim the ends. For larger zucchini, remove the tough skin. Cut the zucchini lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon (it's best to remove the seeds from young zucchini as well). Weigh the resulting zucchini pulp; it should weigh approximately 1.5 kg.

Step 2

Peel the garlic and finely chop or press it. Wash the dill and finely chop it (dried seeds can be substituted for green dill). Cut the zucchini into half-moons or 1.5–2 cm cubes. Place the vegetable slices, garlic, and dill in a large enamel or stainless steel saucepan.

Step 3

Mix the oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and sugar until smooth. Add to the pan with the vegetables and herbs, stir, cover, and let marinate at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Stir the mixture twice during this time. Sterilize small glass jars and boil the tin lids.

Step 4

Stir the vegetable mixture again: the zucchini will release a lot of juice. You can taste it. Place 1 bay leaf and 2-3 allspice berries in the bottom of the jars. Transfer the vegetable mixture into the containers, compacting it with a spoon and gently tapping the bottoms on the table to fill the jars to the very top.

Step 5

Place the jars, covered with lids, in a wide saucepan lined with cotton cloth. Fill the pan with hot water up to the shoulders of the jars, bring it to a boil, and sterilize for 10–15 minutes, until the water is gently bubbling but not pouring over the jars. Then carefully remove them from the water and seal the lids with a canning wrench.

Step 6

Turn the canned goods upside down and cover them until they cool completely, about 24 hours. Transfer the preserves to a dark place, and after 2 weeks, you can open the jar and try it. This amount of ingredients makes about 2 liters of the snack.

Zucchini like mushrooms for the winter is an unusual yet very simple homemade preparation that turns out crispy, aromatic, and truly reminiscent of marinated mushrooms. The secret lies in the firm flesh of young zucchini, the rich marinade, garlic, dill, and aromatic spices. In this article, we'll explain which zucchini to choose, how to prepare the marinade, how long to cook the vegetables to prevent them from becoming overcooked, and how to prepare the preparation without additional sterilization. We'll also explore why zucchini turns out like mushrooms, how to store them properly, and what to serve them with in winter.

Uncle Ben's zucchini salad has long been a popular winter preserve. There are even young cooks who don't know where the name comes from. But back in the 1990s, no canned product was more popular than the sauces and vegetable appetizers branded Uncle Ben's. The logo featured a portrait of Uncle Ben himself—an elderly African American man in a bow tie. It was said that his inspiration was a real Chicago maitre d' named Frank Brown. But in 2020, a representative of Mars—yes, the same company that produces all sorts of Snickers, Mars, Whiskas, and Uncle Ben's—admitted that there likely was no real Ben. But who cares if the sauces and salads were so delicious that Russian housewives quickly adopted the idea and began exchanging recipes. Let's be honest, the zucchini "uncle bensa" recipe has many variations. We offer ours. You can adjust the proportions and make adjustments as you please. This primarily concerns the amount of salt and sugar. The amounts of ingredients suggested in our recipe will make just over 2.5 liters of salad, or enough for five half-liter jars.

This winter zucchini appetizer is quick to prepare, uses readily available ingredients, and is easy to store. Cooking time ranges from an hour to two, depending on the desired consistency and how well the vegetables are cooked. Sterilize using any convenient method, such as steaming, baking, or microwaving. Otherwise, just follow our recipe and be sure to stock up! After all, it's so nice to open a jar of salad in winter and savor the bountiful flavors of autumn!

Prepare the Shakarob salad for the winter using our recipe and enjoy the fresh flavor of your favorite vegetables during this cold season. Yes, the main feature of this dish is that its ingredients (cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and onions) are not heat-treated, except for the final sterilization. Thanks to the latter, and the addition of vinegar directly to the jars, the salad keeps well in a dry, dark place. You can open this prepared salad at any time, for example, as a vitamin-rich addition to dinner. So, it's definitely worth taking the time to save yourself the trouble of buying canned vegetables at the store in the summer.

Mother-in-law's tongue zucchini is the best way to preserve vegetables for the long winter, especially if you've brought back a bountiful harvest from the dacha. Of course, you can make caviar with them, stew them in sour cream, fry pancakes, stuff them with meat, and bake them in the oven. When you've grown tired of all these dishes, we suggest trying a delicious appetizer made with tomatoes and your favorite zucchini. Thanks to the fiery red pepper, it's piquant and just the right amount of heat. You can use dry ground chili, or, if you like it hotter, add freshly ground chili or cayenne. This amount of ingredients makes a 1-liter jar. If needed, increase the amount of vegetables and spices in equal proportions.

Prepare marinated zucchini for the winter in jars, and you'll have a delicious snack with a pleasantly crisp texture and delicate flavor. With this recipe in hand, you can rest assured of a bumper harvest of these fruits. And you won't have to refuse gifts either, as now you know exactly what to do with zucchini, besides the proverbial caviar. Note that in this case, they undergo virtually no heat treatment, so they retain their shape perfectly. This means these marinated zucchini can even be served at a holiday table as an accompaniment to roast meat or poultry.

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