Cucumber Sweet Pepper Relish
An heirloom recipe for sweet pickle relish made with fresh cucumbers, peppers, and onions. Recipe makes 9 pints (about 8 servings per pint).
Servings 72 servings
Calories 30kcal
Ingredients
- 12 large cucumbers peeled, cored and chopped
- 4 green bell peppers seeded and finely chopped
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and finely chopped
- 4 large onions peeled and finely chopped *I use sweet onions
- ¼ cup pickling salt or kosher salt
- 1 cup prepared horseradish *feel free to adjust to taste
- 1½ cups light brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 2 tbsp mustard seed
- cold white vinegar to cover
Instructions
- Place chopped cucumbers and 1/4 cup salt in a colander over a bowl and toss to combine. Cover, refrigerate and allow to drain overnight. You will have a large amount of water in the bowl the next morning.
- Drain and rinse cucumbers in ice cold water, filling the bowl. Drain well; this helps to remove the excess salt.
- Chop peppers and onions. Add to cucumbers.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, horseradish, celery seed, and mustard seed. Let sit at room temperature until sugar dissolves. Add to cucumber mixture and then add enough vinegar to cover.
- Bottle in your favorite jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, freeze, or give as gifts to friends.
Notes
- Salting and draining the cucumbers is the most important step. Skip the old-school sack method and set the salted cucumbers in a colander over a large bowl, cover it, and refrigerate. By morning, you’ll be amazed at how much liquid has drained off! Rinsing them afterward removes extra salt and keeps them crisp.
- When chopping your veggies, aim for small, uniform pieces. This ensures you get a satisfying balance of tangy sweetness and crunch in every spoonful. I like my relish a little chunky, so I dice the cucumbers, peppers, and onions into about ⅛ – ¼ inch pieces.
- Let the relish rest in the fridge before serving. Technically, you can use it right away, but I recommend letting it sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving. This gives the fresh veggies time to marinate gently in all that tangy-sweet goodness.
Nutrition
Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.2mg