Grandma's Sweet Relish

annie1992

8 years ago

2many diversions asked for this recipe on another thread, and so it doesn't get lost, I told her I'd make a new thread.

If anyone gardens and cans, this is a great use for those great big cucumbers that hide under the leaves and lurk there until they are too big. Since they are all chopped up for relish, the size just doesn't seem to matter, the seeds aren't too tough and neither is the peel. My son in law loves the stuff, so I make it every year.

I put all the onions, peppers and cucumbers through the food processor, although I like the texture better with the grating blade rather than just chopped. You wouldn't think the turmeric would really make a difference at this amount, but it does, do not leave it out. The recipe calls for cooking for an hour but I find that if I squeeze the moisture out of the veggies it cooks in much less time, I cook it until it's "thick enough" to be a viable relish on burgers, hot dogs or pulled pork. Elery sometimes eats it on beans, says it's a southern thing.

CUCUMBER RELISH (GRANDMA'S RECIPE)

4 cups ground cucumbers
4 large onions, ground up
4 green peppers, ground up
1 or 2 red peppers, ground up
1 tbls. Salt
4 tsp celery seed
2 tsp. Turmeric
1½ tsp. Pepper
4 cups vinegar
4 cups sugar

Combine veggies and salt and let stand for 2 hours. Drain well, add rest of ingredients and cook slowly for 1 hour. Pack hot into hot jars and process in boiling water bath 15 minutes for pints.

Makes 6- 8 pints

Annie

Featured Answer

bragu_DSM 5

8 years ago

The monster cukes are perfect for faux apple rings. a day-long soak in lime crisps them up. Peel, slice and take out the seeds and create the large apple-core size cavity first.

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Comments (14)

bragu_DSM 5
8 years ago
what, no mustard seed … for that extra 'pop'?

^_^
annie1992
Original Author
8 years ago
Nope, no mustard seed. I think Grandma used all that in her bread and butter pickles, there was a LOT of mustard seed in her pickling spice mixture...

Annie
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Seatlesuze, I'm always proud/happy to share my favorite recipes. I hope you enjoy these, thanks for asking! LIME PICKLES 1 cup lime (hydrated) 1 gal. water 7 lbs cucumbers, chunked or sliced 1/4 inch thick (don't peel) Syrup: 2 quarts vinegar 11 cups sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon mustard seed 1 teaspoon pickling spice Slice cucumbers and put in a large non metal container (I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket). Stir lime into water, mix well. Pour lime mixture over cucumbers. Put a plate on the top of the cucumbers (to hold them under liquid). and let them soak 24 hours. Remove cucumbers and wash lime off under running water. Let washed cucumber slices soak in cold water 5 hours. In large pot bring syrup ingredients to a boil. Drain cucumber slices and add them to hot syrup. Let cucumbers soak in syrup mixture over night. Simmer all ingredients about 40 minutes (or longer) until slices become transparent and sort of float to the top. One at a time place slices in prepared canning jar, pack tightly. Pour hot syrup mixture over slices to cover cucumbers. Seal jars in a hot water bath. These pickles are a lot of work; but they are delicious! They are especially good used in potato, ham, turkey and chicken salads. My dad (and husband) love to eat them, but have to leave the house when they're cooking in the hot syrup. AUNT SUSIE K'S GREEN TOMATO RELISH 4 cups onion 1 medium head cabbage 10 green tomatoes 12 green peppers 6 red peppers 1/2 cup salt Syrup: 6 cups sugar 4 cups vinegar 2 cups water Grind vegies together (I use a food processor). Stir in the salt and let mixture stand over night. Rinse vegetables and drain. Heat syrup ingredients together to a boil. Add vegies and simmer 3 minutes. Seal mixture in prepared canning jars in a 10 minute host water bath.
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Loves2cook, I've made a couple of jars of pear taffy myself. (grin) It happens. The stuff that doesn't set up I also use as sauce, as syrup on pancakes or Ashley just dunks her toast into a puddle of it on her plate, she says she gets jam on every bite that way. The sweet relish recipe? I'm happy to share. I spent over a decade trying to recreate Grandma's relish after she passed away. I never got it right. One day when I was visiting my Aunt Lulabelle, she was canning relish. I tasted and it was amazingly like Grandma's. She's my Dad's sister and my Grandma was my maternal Grandmother. Didn't stop her from giving Aunt Lulabelle that recipe at least 20 years before, LOL, and so it came back to me, via my Dad's side of the family. CUCUMBER RELISH (GRANDMAÂS RECIPE) 4 cups ground cucumbers 4 large onions, ground up 4 green peppers, ground up 1 or 2 red peppers, ground up 1 tbls. Salt 4 tsp celery seed 2 tsp. Turmeric Â½ tsp. Pepper 4 cups vinegar 4 cups sugar Combine veggies and salt and let stand for 2 hours. Drain well, add rest of ingredients and cook slowly for 1 hour. Pack hot into hot jars and process in boiling water bath 15 minutes for pints. Makes 6 Â 8 pints I don't have any "secret" recipes, I'm always happy to share. If any were to make me famous, it would have been Annie's Salsa, but that's already everywhere, too late to keep it secret. (grin) Annie
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This is our favorite... * Exported from MasterCook * Cucumber Relish Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Preserving Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 quarts chopped cucumbers 2 cups chopped sweer green peppers 2 cups chopped sweer red peppers 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup salt 2 quarts cold water 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 sticks cinnamon 1 tablespoon mustard seed 1 tablespoon turmeric 2 teaspoons whole allspice 2 teaspoons whole cloves 1 quart vinegar Combine cucumbers, peppers and onion; sprinkle with turmeric. Dissolve salt in 2 qt. water. Pour over chopped vegetables; let stand 3-4 hours. Drain. Cover with cold water and let stand one hour. Drain thoroughly. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag; add to sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and pour over vegetables. Cover and let stand 12-18 hours in a cool place. Bring to boil; simmer until hot. Pack into clean, hot jars. leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath: 10 min. at 0-1000. ft., 15 min. at 1001-6000 ft., and 20 min. above 6000 ft. Katie's notes: I add less turmeric, 1/2-1 tsp. Have also used mixed pickling spice in place of the cinnamon, allspice, mustard and cloves. Source: "Ball Blue Book" Copyright: "1989" Yield: "6 pints" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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CA Kate z9
8 years ago
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Annie.
bcskye
8 years ago
Thank you, Annie, for sharing.

Madonna
2ManyDiversions
8 years ago
Annie, thank you so very much for sharing - and commenting on the turmeric. And what a wonderful story! I can't wait to try it! Long ago I hated relishes because I'd never tasted or made home-made, and relish meant that awful pickle stuff from the grocery! My first relish was a green tomato, etc, and somewhat sweet also - perfect for hot dogs, burgers, sandwich toppings. I love relishes!

You know, I used to think those darned big cucumbers magically grew over-sized overnight : ) You think you've found them all, and the next day, bam! there is a giant cuke staring at you accusingly, ha ha! Good to know when we get our garden back, I've now got a recipe to utilize those monsters! In the meantime, I will just have to use regular sized... : )
annie1992
Original Author
8 years ago
2many, you are ever so welcome. I make a double batch every year because it's not used in a lot of things, but it's used regularly. Each of my girls takes a couple of jars and the rest stay here.

There is a restaurant in Muskegon, about 50 miles away, called US31 BBQ. They cook the meats over coals and then slice then. They sell a pork BBQ sandwich that is like nothing else I've ever eaten, and you never get them "to go" because the bun will become so soggy it'll just disintegrate. I tried for years to duplicate that sandwich and the closest I've come is pulled pork from the smoker, mixed with that homemade sweet relish. So I have to make it every year!

Annie
2ManyDiversions
8 years ago
Thank you for reminding me you use this on pork sandwiches - I'd never have thought of it, and that sounds good!
cathyinpa
8 years ago
Well, my DH would LOVE this, Annie. I may give this a whirl -- quarter it and just let him eat it fresh (whisper -- so I don't have to can:) I made refrigerator bread and butter pickles for the first time last summer. If a person can be thrilled about pickles, he was:)

CathyinSWPA
annie1992
Original Author
8 years ago
Cathy, a person can definitely be thrilled about pickles, my Grandson loves 'em and is never as happy as he is when I set a jar of pickles on the table. It can be dill pickles or bread and butter pickles or pickled beets or asparagus or onions, doesn't matter to him, he'll eat a whole jar. His mother was going to say something to him and I nudged her and whispered "remember, they're vegetables". She smiled and remained silent, LOL. It does keep in the refrigerator for quite some time, with all that vinegar and sugar as preservatives.

2many, for some reason it just goes really well with pork, although Elery stirs it into his beans, something I'd never have thought of. My son in law likes it on burgers and Bud likes it when I stir some into the dressing for pasta or potato salad. So, it gets used regularly, but not so much that I need to make more than a couple of batches.

Madonna and Kate, my son in law says it tastes just like the jars of relish his Mother buys from a vendor at Pigeon Forge, she always buys several because she doesn't go every year. I told him to tell her not to buy any more, I'll just make some extra! So, if you've ever had that "southern" sweet relish, this is very similar.

Annie
cathyinpa
8 years ago
I love it, Annie! It's the simple pleasures, yes? Your grandson, loving Grandmom's homemade pickles (plus!) and they're vegetables too! HA!

A guy DH works with had a BANNER year of cucumbers last year, and they kept ending up in my kitchen. I sent this pic to the cucumber grower (half eaten jar, no less), and he was so thrilled I got even more cucumbers. Would your grandmother approve of the amount of mustard seed? or maybe just wee a bit more? :)

My "toe-in-the-water" pickling experiment!
Excited to try this relish!

CathyinSWPA
gardengrlz
8 years ago
I can attest for Annie's Grandma's Relish...I use my "monster" cukes that get out of control. This huge white one is "White Wonder"...it's a fun cuke to grow. :-)
annie1992
Original Author
8 years ago
Kathy, I've never grown those, but I grew the "lemon" type, and that was fun, plus they didn't get bitter, I liked them. Everyone else, however, is in a rut and want those plain old pickling type cucumbers. They are just no fun at all, LOL.

Is that yellow cucumber between the two white ones just an overgrown pickler, or is it another type?

Cathy, I think that amount of mustard seed is perfect, I used to actually dig out the mustard seeds and the onion rings from bread and butter pickles and eat those until Sleevendog gave me the recipe for pickled mustard seeds! I still pick the onions out and eat those first, though. I get to because I made 'em, so there!

Grandma also used to make something out of the huge yellow pickling cucumbers called Senfgurkin, it was a sweet pickle too, so maybe the bitterness of those big cukes must be offset by the sugar...

Annie
Louiseab
8 years ago
What is with those people that don’t want to change anything? I get frustrated because I love to try different things.

Grandma's Sweet Relish

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