Sweet Pepper ‘n’ Onion Relish

This is the first relish I ever canned in hopes of recapturing my Grandmother’s beloved pepper/onion combination. Since the recipe was lost, I resorted to her verbal description … “equal amounts of red pepper, green pepper, and yellow onion” … and played with several basic recipes to determine how much brine. This relish is THE family condiment to slather on leftover holiday turkey with a little mustard for nippiness. Equally lu-verly in egg salad and macaroni salad.

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: About 7 pints

Ingredients

13 cups diced multi-colored bell peppers
(Grandmother’s traditional mix was 50/50
green and red peppers)
6 cups diced white onions (love Vidalia!)
3 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon canning salt

Directions

Wash peppers well. Remove white ribs and seeds and cut into 1″ squares. Peel and cut onions into eighths. Chop peppers and onions medium-fine in a food processor or run through a medium blade of hand grinder.

Combine all ingredients in large pot of at least 5 quarts. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust lids. Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.

P.S. The relish is pretty good immediately, but like all good things canned, it tastes better if the finished jars sit a month before opening.

P.P.S. I have tasted other versions of this sweet relish where mild hot peppers have been substituted for a portion of the sweet pepper measure. Haven’t tried this spicy/sweet idea yet but it’s on my list for this year!

Categories: Boiling Water Bath, BWB Condiments, Canning, Preserving

Submitted by: ruthmarie on June 13, 2011