Bountiful Garden Produce = Sweet Pickle Relish

This small batch recipe makes three pints of relish.
Perfect for the two of us.

     If we didn’t know better we’d swear our cucumber plants were on steroids! We’re not complaining, just trying to find more uses for them including carrying bags of them in our vehicles . . . to pawn off on willing friends.

     I try to pick them when they’re small and I am doing my best to remember that “less is more” when it comes to canning . . . unlike our Kentucky relatives who are again getting ready to can hundreds of jars of pickles (see Dill Pickle recipe).

    This recipe also allowed me to utilize our garden peppers and onions, too.

Sweet Pickle Relish     Makes 3 pints

Seeded cucumbers are ready to be
cut into chunks & pulsed in the
food processor.

4 cups cucumbers, seeded and chopped, skins left on  -- to seed cucumbers cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (a spoon works well for this task.) I then cut them into chunks & pulsed them in the food processor until they were chunky.

2 cups yellow or white onions, chopped

1 cup green bell peppers, chopped

1 cup red bell peppers, chopped

¼ cup pickling or Kosher salt

1¾ cups granulated sugar

1 cups cider vinegar

1 tablespoon celery seeds

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1.     Put all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the chopped vegetables. Cover with cold water and let stand for 2 hours.

Chopped veggies set for 2 hours in cold water.

2.     Drain vegetables well, then press out as much liquid as possible.

Water is drained from the veggies.

3.     In a large pot, combine sugar, vinegar and seeds. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables.

Syrup for veggies is coming to a boil.

4.     Once veggies have been added, bring syrup back to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5.     Add vegetable relish and syrup to sterilized pint jars according to standard canning procedures. (Note: I actually drained the relish, added it to the jars until they were about ¾ to 7/8 full and then filled the jar with the syrup. Any syrup that is left, I refrigerate for a later batch.)

6.     Seal jars (according to standard guidelines) and process in a hot water bath according to your altitude (10 minutes for up to 1000 ft.). Set jars on a cooling rack once jars are taken from the canner.

 For detailed instructions and guidelines for safe home canning, from jar sterilization to choosing the right canning method (water bath vs. pressure cooking) to testing jar seals, go to the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving.