Sweet Relish Canning Recipe

Next up I wanted to make some sweet relish, because maybe there is such a thing as too many dill pickles? I know, hard to imagine. Since I had no idea how to make sweet relish I used this recipe over at Old World Garden Farms. If you have some time I highly suggest checking out other parts of their site.

Draining the cucumbers.

The reason I liked this recipe was that it uses a lot less sugar than most recipes that I found. I kind of liked the fact that I wasn't using 2-3 cups of sugar! I cut my cucumbers into a little bit larger chunks, but that's all a matter of personal preference.

Canning Dill Pickles

I love dill pickles, so one of my goals this year was to focus on growing tons of cucumbers. A ton is what I got. I thought I'd share the recipe Im using to make my pickles.

Garlic Dill Pickles

(makes 4 pints)

2 cups distilled white vinegar

2 cups water

2 tbs. canning salt

1 tsp dill seed per jar

1/2 tsp mustard seed per jar

1 clove garlic per jar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Start bringing large pot of water (for water bath canning) to a boil.

2. Cut pickles however you want or keep whole. Make sure to cut off the blossom end of the pickles. (The blossom ends contain enzymes that can make your pickles softer.)

3. Place dill seed, mustard seed and garlic into each jar and pack pickles into the jars.

4. Bring water and vinegar to a boil. Once boiled pour into jars leaving about a 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles around the pickles. Wipe off rims of jars and hand tighten lids. 

5. Process in your boiling water bath for 10 minutes for pints. Remove from water and place on towel on the counter. Let them cool completely. Once cooled check the seal on top of the jar. If it "pops" that means it didn't seal and you should go ahead and put them in your fridge to eat within a week or so (or less if they even last that long)

Next up is some sweet relish and some chicken stock made in the crockpot to then be canned in the pressure cooker. Those posts to follow!