I have a long list of goods to can, and relish is on the top of my list. It seems to call to me, despite the fact that in real life I can’t remember the last time I ate relish. Perhaps, it’s because when store bought relish oozes out of the bottle there is something unnaturally shiny, sticky and glooey about it.
After perusing several relish recipes (they seem to vary in difficulty much more than jam) I settled on this recipe from Simple Bites which in turn is from Food in Jars, a great canning blog.
I split up the steps to make it easier to cook in the short windows I have when baby is asleep. The day before I chopped up all the peppers, zucchini and onions in my mini chopper. The pieces are perhaps a bit smaller than I would have liked but… it did the job in the little time I had. The next day I simmered and let the veg drain in a colander over the sink until his next nap…. where I heated it up again and did my jars. Phew!
The relish is great – zingy and fresh tasting and not gloopy! I recommend it especially if you have zucchini you need to use up.
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
