One of the many great advantages of this recipe is that you can use zucchini of any size. If they have really grown into baseball bats, you can peel them, cut them lengthwise into quarters and remove the mushy, seed-containing core with a spoon.

Cut the zucchini, bell peppers and onions into slices of 2 - 3 mm (1/10 inch). This recipe requires no salting before pickling.

Put the vinegar, water and apple juice in a pot and bring it to a rolling boil.

Add the vegetables and spices and let it boil for one minute. If your pot is too small to handle all the vegetables at once, you can boil them in portions and layer each batch in the jars after cooking.

Fill everything in jars, fill up with brine, leaving a headspace of about an inch. Then close the lids tightly.

Once they've cooled down, you can eat the pickled zucchini right away. However, I like them best when they have had a resting time of 2 - 3 days.

After cooling down, you can store the pickled zucchini in a cool place (a cool basement works fine; alternatively, put them in the fridge) for up to one year.

Once a jar is open, you must store it in the fridge and consume it within 7 days.