Probably best to ask before you make it. ;)

Here is a link to two of the tested and approved recipes for making corn relish - one from Ball and one from NCHFP - you can compare your recipe to them and decide. Personally I find it a little low in vinegar compared to the others but ultimately the choice is yours.

As we repeatedly say here, use tested and approved recipes rather than recipes from unknown sources. That way you have no concerns either before or after.

However since you have already made this one you apparently felt it was safe to use at the time, right? Is it more than 24 hours old? It is your choice.

Dave

Dave,
This is my first year canning. And I made a few recipes off the Internet assuming if it sealed it was safe. After I found this forum I learned a FEW things and started to review what I had done. So now I am getting very discouraged as I have to throw out my jalapenos and possibly the corn relish? I do appreciate all the time and effort you and so many others have put into this forum.
Thanks again
Mike

So if it is less than 24 hours you can reprocess it. If more than 24 hours you can re-boil it for 10 mins. and then freeze it.

If you decide to reprocess it, dump it all back into the pot and heat it up to boiling, add an additional 1/2 cup of vinegar, taste it from the pot, if not too vinegary add a bit more at a time tasting as you go up to another 1/2 cup to bring it up to the vinegar levels of the approved recipes. Then re-can. It will be a little softer but safe.

But please note before someone jumps on me - I am not saying yours in unsafe. It may or may not be. I just said that it is low in vinegar per the other ingredient amounts when compared to the approved recipes and that is what and how I would fix if it were mine.

But ultimately the choice on what to do with it is yours. Just don't get overly discouraged. We have all made the same mistakes at one time or another. We all had to learn and unfortunately sometimes the only way we learn is the hard way.

Hope this helps.

Dave

PS: and if you haven't yet, get yourself a copy of the Ball Blue Book or if you can spring for it the Ball Complete Book. ;)

Dave, thanks for your help. I do have the ball blue book and just got home with ball complete book and better homes and gardens (you can can)book. In that book I found this recipe for corn relish:). The book says all the recipes are tested and approved. What do you think.
Thanks again
Mike

corn relish
Tangy, sweet corn relish perks up the mild-tasting meats, such as roast pork, chicken, or turkey.
the recipe
If you're lucky enough to have fresh corn, by all means use it. But if fresh corn isn't readily available, you can substitute frozen whole kernel corn.

Corn relish adds pleasing flavor
and texture.
Ingredients:
12 to 16 fresh ears of corn
2 cups water
3 cups chopped celery (6 stalks)
1-1/2 cups chopped red sweet pepper (2)
1-1/2 cups chopped green sweet pepper (2)
1 cup chopped onion (2 medium)
2-1/2 cups vinegar
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Step 1.
Instructions:
1. Remove husks and cut corn from cob. To prepare the corn, pull the husks from the ears and remove as much of the silks as you can. Use a stiff brush to remove any remaining silks. To cut the kernels from the cobs, hold the ear of corn so an end rests on a cutting board. Using a sharp utility knife cut a strip of the kernel from the cob, moving the knife from the top of the ear toward the cutting board. Do not scrape the cob. When you have finished, you should have 8 cups of corn.
2. Chop the vegetables. When cutting the celery, sweet peppers and onion, chop them into pieces about the same size as the corn kernels. Cut celery and peppers into strips; then gather several strips in a bunch and cut crosswise into small pieces.
3. Cooking the corn and vegetables. Combine the corn and the two cups water in an 8- to 10-quart Dutch oven or kettle. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 4 to minutes or until corn is nearly tender. Drain the corn and return it to the Dutch oven. Add the celery, red and green sweet pepper, and onion. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, mustard, pickling salt, celery seed and turmeric. Bring the mixture to boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4.
4. Cook relish until thickened and bubbly. Stir together the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and the 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the corn mixture. Cook and stir until the mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly; continue to cook and stir for 1 minute more. The additional cooking ensures that the cornstarch is completely cooked.
5. Filling jars and processing. Ladle the corn relish into hot, clean pint canning jars. Use a wide-mouth plastic funnel and fill the jars to within 1/2-inch from the top. Remove the funnel. Release any trapped air bubbles in each jar by gently pushing a narrow rubber spatula down into the jar around the sides. If necessary, add more corn relish to maintain the headspace. Wipe off the jar rim with a clean, damp paper towel. Any food left on the rim will prevent a perfect seal. Add the lid and screw band, tightening the band according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place each jar into the canner as it is filled. Leave enough room between the jars so they do not touch. Cover the canner. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. Begin timing when the water returns to boiling. Remove jars from canner and cool on a wire rack.
6. Makes about 5 pints.
7. Serving relish. When the jars have cooled, press the center of each lid to check the seal. If the dip in the lid holds, the jar is sealed. If the lid bounces up and down, the jar isn't sealed. Unsealed jars should be stored in the refrigerator and used within 2 weeks. Label the sealed jars with content and date. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

If you will stick with the recipe from the Univ. of Georgia it WILL be safe, 100 %. ( I think you are getting farther away from safe. Less vinegar in this last one you posted yet. )
It is very good, too. Using this recipe for a sample and as a handout in a few days in a class I am instructing.

Pickled Corn Relish
10 cups fresh whole kernel corn (16 to 20 medium-size ears), or six 10-ounce packages of frozen corn
2-1/2 cups diced sweet red peppers
2-1/2 cups diced sweet green peppers
2-1/2 cups chopped celery
1-1/4 cups diced onions
1-3/4 cups sugar
5 cups vinegar (5 percent)
2-1/2 tbsp canning or pickling salt
2-1/2 tsp celery seed
2-1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1-1/4 tsp turmeric
Yield: About 9 pints

Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.

Procedure: Boil ears of corn 5 minutes. Dip in cold water. Cut whole kernels from cob or use six 10-ounce frozen packages of corn. Combine peppers, celery, onions, sugar, vinegar, salt, and celery seed in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix mustard and turmeric in 1/2 cup of the simmered mixture. Add this mixture and corn to the hot mixture. Simmer another 5 minutes. If desired, thicken mixture with flour paste (1/4 cup flour blended in 1/4 cup water) and stir frequently. Fill jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Pickled Corn Relish in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack Jar Size 0 - 1,000 ft 1,001 - 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft
Hot Half-pints or Pints 15 min 20 25

All the recipes in the Ball books are tested an approved. If you will stick with them and with the recipes on the NCHFP website and on the Ball website (freshpreserving.com) you need have no fears or concerns.

The BH&G book is an unknown. It is too new for anyone to have any prior experience with it or to have reviewed it. BH&G is well known for their cookbooks. But canning recipes are another matter. I wouldn't count on it until it gets a USDA stamp of approval or at least until some experienced canners have the opportunity to review it.

We try to review new books here (search will pull them up by title) but lots of so-called canning cookbooks get published annually. Like website recipes, some of them are great, some just ok with care used, and some of them are downright dangerous.

Dave

"if more than 24 hrs you can reboil it for 10 mins. and then freeze it"

Dave how much time do I have to open and reboil? Was wondering if I could reboil before I eat?

Was wondering if I could leave out celery or replace it with onion (Linda-Lou's recipe). Could not find celery on the ph scale.

Is it ok to leave out vegs in a recipe? With less vegs and same amount of vinegar would that be better ph?

Just trying to understand.

Mike

Fewer veg would be fine. With your original recipe the brine is 100% vinegar, which is great. The issue is penetration of the corn and other vegetables by the acid during the cooking process and whether the final mixture is moist enough (i.e. sufficient brine) so that the bits of vegetable are surrounded by the vinegar, not packed in dry.

Heat transmits more effectively through a liquid than through something solid like corn, so in looking at the recipe, if you had made, say, half again as much pickling solution or even doubled it, you probably would have been OK.

As Dave said, we don't know if it's safe or not. Absent lab testing there's just no way to be positive.

In examining the BH&G book, look at the front and back pages for evidence that USDA standards were followed or that the recipes were developed in consultation with someone who has appropriate food safety and preservation credentials. If evidence is provided, then you can approach their recipes with greater confidence.

We know the book is "out there" but no one so far has taken a close look at it or commented specifically on its validity.

Some canners are more "adventurous" in their home food preservation, some are risk-averse. But for a beginner especially, it really is best to stick with the tried-and-true sources. One problem is that lacking experience or background in food preservation principles, it's impossible to assess a formula's relative level of risk.

And as Dave said, ask first, can later. You might also like the Southwest Corn Relish posted on this forum. A search should bring it up. It was developed by a Master Food Preserver on the staff of Oregon State Extension so you can comfortably preserve it.

Carol