One thing nice about making your own canned goods is YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT’S INSIDE THE JAR !! No high fructose corn syrups, no MSG’s, and no ingredients you can’t pronounce. And if your lucky enough to have a garden where you can grow your own produce, then you also have the advantage of knowing whether your veggies are organic and without GMO’s. Makes me really wish I started canning a … long … time … ago.
That being said, I’ve still got loads and loads of cucumbers. And since the pickled cucumbers were a big hit yesterday (my Mr. Big actually polished off a whole jar), I will be making it again. But for today, it’s on to sweet pickle relish. The recipe below was found at Heavenly Homemakers, which turned out really, really yummy. I was able to process eleven 6oz jars, with a small one to put in the fridge.
So enjoy 🙂
SWEET PICKLE RELISH
8 medium-sized cucumbers
2 large onions
2 sweet green peppers
1 sweet red pepper
1/3 cup sea salt
3 cups rapadura or sucanat
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 T. whole celery seed
2 T. whole mustard seed
DIRECTIONS
Begin by slicing the cucumbers, peppers and onions.
Chop the vegetables into tiny pieces (use a food processor, it makes this process so much easier)
Pour the chopped veggies into a large bowl. Cover them with water and the salt and let them soak for about two hours (longer won’t hurt).
Pour the soaked veggies through a strainer, rinse and drain completely.
Pour strained veggies into a large pot and add remaining ingredients. Stir well.
Bring to a boil. Simmer relish for ten minutes, then transfer into pint sized jars. Process the pickle relish in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and set out to cool.
Mama Bears Garden 