Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

My family loves relish! They will eat relish on their burgers, hot dogs and on crackers. I love adding a little bit of homemade relish into various pasta salads that I make because it adds a little bit of unexpected flavor.

When I make and can my homemade relish I like to use the Ball Canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book - Guide to Preserving. You will find it in the pickled foods section. The recipe will make 8 half-pint jars. Recipe is courtesy of Ball.

Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe

4 large cucumbers = 1 quart (chopped)
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup Ball Salt for Pickling & Canning
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp. celery seed
1 tbsp. mustard seed
2 cups cider vinegar, 5% acidity

Prep: Wash cucumbers, green & red bell peppers under cool running water; drain. Remove stems and ends from the cucumbers. Peel onions & chop. Combine together the chopped cucumbers, onions, green & red bell peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the top. Pour cold water over the vegetables just to cover. Let bowl stand for 2 hours. Drain vegetables, rinse vegetables under cool water and drain again.

Cook: Combine granulated sugar, spices and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, add vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fill: Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving a 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles, place lids on top and then the bands. Adjust bands until they are fingertip tight. Place jars on rack above the simmering water in a boiling water bath canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process: Lower the rack into the simmering water so that water covers all of the jars by 1" or more. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner and bring the water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner, do not retighten any of the bands that might of come loose. Cool jars on the counter for 12 hours. Recheck all jars to make sure they sealed properly before storing them in your pantry.

Print Recipe: You can print out this recipe by clicking on the SHARE button located at the bottom of this post. A new window will open. Click on PRINT and the recipe will load into the window for fast printing. Enjoy!