Sweet Pickle Relish
This sweet pickle relish, made with cucumbers, sugar, onion, salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and cider vinegar, is perfect for hamburgers and hot dogs and potato salad, and anything else. So long, storebought.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, unpeeled, finely chopped (6 to 8 cups)
- 2 cups finely chopped onions, (2 to 3 medium onions)
- 3 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt (or 2 tablespoons if using Morton brand kosher salt)
- 2 to 3 quarts ice cold water
- 1 1/2 to 3 cups granulated sugar, depending on just how sweet you like your relish
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, layer the cucumbers, onions, and salt. Add enough of the cold water to completely cover the vegetables. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Drain the vegetables in a large fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with a single layer of cheesecloth. Rinse well and drain again, pressing out the excess liquid.
- In a 6- to 8-quart stainless steel pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, and celery seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Add the drained vegetables to the syrup and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. The mixture may look watery but that's okay. Ladle the relish into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel. Apply hot lids and screw bands.
- If you're simply stashing the relish in the fridge, refrigerate the jars of relish for up to a few weeks. If you're properly canning the pickle relish, process 8-ounce jars in a water bath canner according to manufacturer’s instructions for 10 minutes and process pint jars for 15 minutes. Remove from the water bath canner and let cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals and remove the screw bands. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.
Notes
Author note
Cucumbers are an easy crop to grow in a home garden, and freshly harvested cucumbers make the best pickles—and relish. For anything that you decide to can, use only commercially produced vinegar—never homemade. Vinegar must have a minimum acidity level of 5% for safe pickling.Nutrition
Serving: 1portion, about 1 tablespoon | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 330mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g