If you are a pickle lover like I am, add this pickle relish recipe to your to-make list pronto! It is the perfect way to use up cucumbers and it is a great condiment for a variety of different foods.
Why This Recipe Works
A lot of us have been at that place where we have massive amounts of cucumbers on our hands. There are only so many salads a girl (or guy) can make! Homemade pickles are always delicious, pickle rollups are an obvious fave, but what the heck else can you do with cucumbers?
Well, let me tell you! This is my newest pickled discovery and I am in love with this delicious pickle relish recipe. Here’s what I love about it:
- It is DELICIOUS.
- I am a huge lover of sauces and condiments and love dousing my food in them.
- Pickles taste great in absolutely everything, including potato salad and egg salad.
- This makes a huge batch, so you can refrigerate some, freeze some, give a few jars away and eat the rest!
Recipe Ingredients
Cucumbers – Use regular cucumbers, minis or garden cucumbers for this recipe, but total should equal that of 4 large cucumbers.
Bell peppers – Any color of bell pepper tastes great in this recipe. Orange, yellow and red peppers will produce a sweeter end result.
Pickling salt – If you cannot find pickling salt, kosher salt will work just fine.
Apple cider vinegar – Replace the 3 cups cider vinegar with an equal portion of white vinegar for a less appley flavor.
Granulated sugar – The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, but if you prefer a less sweet end result you can easily cut this amount in half. Even a small amount of sugar used will greatly enhance the flavor.
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How To Make Homemade Pickle Relish
Step 1
Combine cucumbers, onions and pepper chunks in a food processor and pulse until the chopped vegetables are chunky but not pureed (do this in batches, if needed). You should be able to see small pieces of the veggies.
In a large saucepan, combine the cucumber mixture and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
Step 2
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the excess liquid from the dill pickle relish mixture. Add the solids back to the saucepan, along with the vinegar, garlic, sugar, dill seed, mustard seed and celery seed.
Step 3
Stir until combined and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer hot relish to half pint jars for storing. Use the hot water bath method for proper storage (see below).
Water Bath Canning Without A Canner
There’s no need to buy a water bath canner if you’re wanting to can a big batch or relish or jam! Use what you already have sitting in your kitchen. This technique works just as well.
Step 1
Carefully drop mason jars (and their lids) into a large pot of cold water in a single layer. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Do not stack jars and ensure they are all immersed in the water (open sides facing up) with approximately 2 inches of water extending up past the top of the jars.
Step 2
When the relish is prepared and ready for canning, set it out next to the saucepan with the jars. One by one, use a tongs to remove hot jars from the boiling water.
Fill with the relish. Fill to about 1/2 inch from the top, wipe jar rims with a clean cloth and place lid on the jar. Screw as tightly as possible. Use an oven mitt for this step since the jars will be hot.
Step 3
After all jars have been filled and lidded, carefully return them to the boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. Turn the burner off and remove the jars from the water once it has cooled down a bit. You may use a jar lifter for this step or carefully use a tongs and large spoon in tandem to pull and lift at the same time.
Step 4
Transfer jars to a flat surface and let sit for a few hours or overnight, or until the lids have sealed. You will hear an audible popping noise when a jar seals. Store in a cool dark place until ready to use. Once the seal has been broken, store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
- There is a lot of room for flavor enhancements! Add hot peppers for a spicier mixture. Use extra sugar for super sweet relish. Use extra onions and garlic for extra zing. Other fresh veggies such as carrots or zucchinis are a nice addition.
- Be sure not to skip the straining part! This will ensure the consistency is not too runny.
- For a less sweet relish, decrease the amount of sugar used and increase how much onion and peppers are added.
Ways To Use Relish
- Top your next sandwich with it! Grilled cheese, pork, burgers and dagwoods are great options.
- Add a thick layer to your next batch of hot dogs.
- Toss a few spoonfuls into your next batch of scrambled eggs.
- Add a few tablespoons to any savory dip.
- Replace capers and chopped pickles with homemade dill relish in recipes such as chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad and egg salad.
FAQ About Pickles
Pickles can be considered both a fruit and a vegetable. Since they are made by bathing cucumbers in a brine liquid, they are a vegetable. However, technically speaking cucumbers are considered to be a fruit because of their seeds.
Pickles are made from cucumbers after soaking in a vinegar-seasoning mixture that well-preserves them.
Pickles are very low in calories, making them a healthy snack. Since the only ingredients are cucumbers, salt and vinegar, one medium pickle contains a mere 7 calories.
Pickles are keto-friendly when they don’t contain added sugar. Generally speaking, if following a keto diet, opt for dill or sour varieties and avoid sweet and bread and butter varieties.
Pickles are made when fresh cucumbers are fully immersed in an acidic pickling solution (a salty brine) until they are fermented.
Not all pickles are fermented. Quick pickles are typically not fermented. Most pickles go through a pickling process that produces lactobacillus acidophilus (a probiotic bacteria) out of the cucumbers, salt, vinegar and water. Lactic acid is produced after the fermentation process, which is evidenced by a cloudy brine.
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Pickle Relish Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large cucumbers peeled, cut into chunks
- 1 yellow onion cut into chunks
- 1 bell pepper green or red, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup pickling salt or kosher salt
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp dill seed
- 2 tsp mustard seed
- 2 tsp celery seed
Instructions
- Combine cucumbers, onions and pepper chunks in a food processor and pulse until the chopped vegetables are chunky but not pureed (do this in batches, if needed). You should be able to see small pieces of the veggies.
- In a large saucepan, combine the cucumber mixture and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the liquids out of the relish mixture. Add the solids back to the saucepan, along with the vinegar, garlic, sugar, dill seed, mustard seed and celery seed.
- Stir until combined and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to mason jars for storing and use the hot water bath method to extend the shelf life.
Notes
- There is a lot of room for flavor enhancements! Add hot peppers for a spicier mixture. Use extra sugar for super sweet relish. Use extra onions and garlic for extra zing. Other fresh veggies such as carrots or zucchinis are a nice addition.
- Be sure not to skip the straining part! This will ensure the consistency is not too runny.
- For a less sweet relish, decrease the amount of sugar used and increase how much onion and peppers are added.
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