Seasonal Ontario Food

Since this is a canned for storage recipe, it won't surprise you to hear that I made it last summer, and have been eating it through the winter and up to now. I'm very pleased with how this has come out! 

Sweet relishes are no longer a good idea for me, so I came up with one that has some good, zingy flavours but no sugar. For my first bite, I have to admit I was disappointed. It looked like a classic sweet relish, after all. But pretty quickly I was judging it on its own merits, and once I adjusted, I thought it was really delicious. I put it in my tuna salad (see below!) but it is also excellent on hot dogs or other sausages, or hamburgers, or wherever you think some relish ought to go. 

The cucumbers don't need peeling as long as they are young and reasonably tender, and if they were not I would not go to all this work. I modeled this somewhat on my Bread & Butter Pickle recipe, and I suspect you could slice the cucumbers for pickles instead of relish if you preferred. I would also try it with zucchini (which have worked successfully for the Bread & Butter Pickles) but you should do a couple cups extra as they shrink down more when drained.

 

7 x 500 ml

1 hour to prepare plus 3 hours to drain 

about 1 hour to can

Start the Relish:

16 cups finely diced pickling cucumbers
3 cups peeled and finely diced onions
1 cup finely diced red OR orange pepper
1/3 cup pickling salt

Wash, trim, and chop the cucumbers. Peel and dice the onions. Wash, cored and de-seed the peppers, and dice them. Layer them in a large strainer with the salt, and place in a cool spot to drain for 3 hours.

Finish the Relish:
1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 large heads of garlic
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/4 cup water

Put the jars on to boil, in a canner with water to cover them by at least an inch.

 

Peel and mince the ginger. Peel and mince the garlic. Mix them with the remaining ingredients in a canning kettle. 

 

When the water in the canner (with the jars) begins to steam, bring the spices to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then add all the vegetables. Bring them up to a boil, stirring regularly. 

 

Drain the jars, half into the canner and half into the sink. Place them on a heat-proof board and ladle the relish into them. Wipe the rims of the jars with a bit of paper towel dipped in the boiling water, and seal them with lids and rings which have been boiled for 1 minute (according to manufacturers instructions). 

Return the sealed jars to the canner. Boil them for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool, then test the seals and label them. Keep in a cool, dark spot for up to a year; refrigerate once open. 

Last year at this time I made Zucchini Tuna Melts.