Pickle Relish

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Our vegetable garden featured some gherkins this year and some of them got to be a little big before we were able to pick them. Typically these are picked when they are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, otherwise they can become bitter. Ours were now about 4 or 5 inches long, but I thought I’d try to use them anyway and do a little “pickle experiment”.

Pickle relish is a favorite condiment in our home, but after reading the back of the jar of relish we purchased at our local grocery store, I decided to try my hand at a homemade version. I didn’t want to make a whole batch with gherkins if they weren’t going to be right for the task, so when I stumbled upon some pickle cucumbers at a roadside vegetable stand, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison to see if the cucumber type makes a big difference or not.

Here’s the recipe I chose, making one batch with gherkins and one batch with pickle cucumbers. This is not a true canning technique** so the relish will only last in the fridge for about a month.

This recipe yields just 1 pint jar (I divided it into two 8-oz jars) and, at the rate that we go through relish, this amount works fine for our family. How do we go through so much? We love this in our homemade tartar sauce with fish dinners, in our tuna or egg salad sandwiches, and of course on our summer burgers and dogs. Now that we have a few fresh jars, I’m sure we will find some more great ways to use it!

**If you want to do a proper canning, process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes and process pint jars for 15 minutes. Let these cool for 12 to 24 hours, check the seals and remove the screw bands. With this type of canning, you can store the relish in a cool, dry, dark place for up to a year.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lbs. of cucumber, unpeeled, finely chopped (two 4-inch cucumbers)

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 quart of water, cold

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

PROCEDURE

  • Get your canning jars ready by placing them into pot of water so they are submerged. Heat the water on low getting these just hot enough so that they don’t crack when the hot relish is placed into them.

  • In a large bowl, layer the diced cucumbers, onions, and salt. Cover with cold water and allow to sit in room temperature for about 2 hours.

  • Drain off the liquid using a fine sieve, rinse well, and squeeze out the excess water.

In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, and celery seeds. While stirring, bring the mixture to a boil until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

  • Add the diced cucumber and onions and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

  • Remove the pot from the heat and spoon into hot canning jars, wipe the rims with a clean damp towel and top with the hot lids and screw bands.

  • Store in the fridge for up to a month.


How did the gherkin relish compare with the one made with pickle cucumbers? We tasted each type and the consensus was that, surprisingly, the gherkin relish was slightly sweeter. So much for the worry about a bitter taste. Now I have a perfect use for the hefty gherkins coming from the garden!

This relish does lean to the vinegar flavor as opposed to being really sweet. If you like a sweeter relish, just adjust the recipe by adding 1/4 cup more sugar than it calls for.