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Puttering around my world

7/6/14

Sweet & Spicy Pickle Relish

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Sweet & Spicy Pickle Relish

Ingredients:
4 c. finely chopped pickling cucumbers
1 c. finely chopped jalapeno pepper
2 c. finely chopped onions  
1 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 c. Kosher salt
3 ½ c. granulated sugar
2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 T. celery seed
1 T. mustard seed

Directions:

      Place chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Add salt, and cover with cool water. Mix to dissolve salt, cover and let stand for two hours. Drain thoroughly and squeeze out excess water. 

       In a large pot, add sugar, vinegar and spices. Bring to a boil and add drained vegetables. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

       Turn heat off, ladle into sterilized jars to within half an inch of the rims, add sterilized lids and rings. Do not tighten all the way. Place in a large pan with water up to the necks of the jars. Bring to a boil, and process for twenty minutes. Allow to cool. Remove to cooling rack, tighten rings, and check that each jar has sealed. If any don't seal, they should be reprocessed or refrigerated and used within two months. 

      This recipe made me a relish lover. My daughter made this about 8 years ago, and I've been making my own ever since. This is an essential ingredient in every tuna, chicken, turkey, egg, or ham salad...macaroni salad, cole slaw, and deviled eggs. And when I make potato salad, it'll be in that, too. 

      If you like heat, add the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos. This is where the heat is. A few years ago, I used them and the relish won 2nd place at the Ohio County Fair. But Mom said she thought it was a little too hot. This year, I'm leaving them out and we'll see what happens at the fair. 

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     I place the vegetables on a large dish towel to wring out the last of the water. 
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     I capped 'em and put 'em in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes, up to their shoulders [obviously, at different times], and then listened to the summer music of the popping of sealing canned food. It may seem like a lot of work for a small amount, but this lasts me a year, and I even give a jar away once in a while..
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Comments (6)

About the Author
Linda (LRuthers)

 

 





     I'm convinced that there are many more bad recipes than there are bad cooks. The problem is that sometimes decent cooks use bad recipes and then believe that the poor results are their fault.


     When people print recipes in cookbooks, magazines, etc. or when they post them online, they seldom tell the pitfalls or the little tips needed to make the recipe turn out well. And, too, quite a few printed recipes contain typos!


     I search for recipes that are good. Dependable. I'm not a chef. I'm a mother and grandmother who's been cooking for >45 years.


     I believe that any recipe posted for the general public should be one that I can master. If not, there's something wrong with the recipe.


     I post my successes and my failures, and tell what I learned when following each new recipe. I learn more from my mistakes. I don't know what that says about me.


     The very best recipes are the ones that are inexpensive, delicious AND easy. And there are a lot of those.


     Sometimes, I spend a little more and work a little harder for a recipe that seems to be one that will make people really happy.


Thanks, Linda


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