For the story about how I acquired this recipe from Marie Drouin, and bonus information about kids entering a country fair, check out Got Cukes? Make Relish on my group blog, Inkwell Inspirations.
This is a no-cook recipe where most of the work involves chopping the cukes, onions, celery, and peppers. If you want more color, use more red peppers than green. I've known cooks who've added green food coloring to make it look more like the store-bought relish, but I've never felt the need for it.
Use the thick, 8-9 inch cucumbers like the one in the following photo instead of the long slender English cukes or the small pickling ones. (Update - more images below)
This is a no-cook recipe where most of the work involves chopping the cukes, onions, celery, and peppers. If you want more color, use more red peppers than green. I've known cooks who've added green food coloring to make it look more like the store-bought relish, but I've never felt the need for it.
Use the thick, 8-9 inch cucumbers like the one in the following photo instead of the long slender English cukes or the small pickling ones. (Update - more images below)
2004 Weyburn Fair entry, 2nd place, JJ Draper, 6 yrs old
Cucumber Relish
12 green cucumbers, unpeeled
12 medium onions
1 celery stalk
4 green and red peppers
4 cups vinegar
6 cups white sugar
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup salt
12 medium onions
1 celery stalk
4 green and red peppers
4 cups vinegar
6 cups white sugar
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup salt
Don't peel cucumbers, but it's up to you if you want to take out or leave in the seeds. Personally, I cut them out the same way I cut out zucchini seeds before throwing them in a food chopper.
Chop the cucumbers, onions, celery stalk, and peppers into small pieces like you see in the store-bought relish.
Mix all the ingredients together making sure the sugar dissolves. The relish consistency depends on how fine you've chopped the produce. I've strained the mixture right after mixing which has thickened the relish, but wasn't as flavorful as when I've stored it with all liquid-drenched spices. If you don't strain when processing and find there's too much liquid, you can always drain some off when you open it for use.
Ladle into sterilized pint preserving jars and seal.
Yield: 9-13 pints depending if you strain first, and the size of your veggies.
UPDATE! After a bit of searching, I found these photos on the net:
Chop the cucumbers, onions, celery stalk, and peppers into small pieces like you see in the store-bought relish.
Mix all the ingredients together making sure the sugar dissolves. The relish consistency depends on how fine you've chopped the produce. I've strained the mixture right after mixing which has thickened the relish, but wasn't as flavorful as when I've stored it with all liquid-drenched spices. If you don't strain when processing and find there's too much liquid, you can always drain some off when you open it for use.
Ladle into sterilized pint preserving jars and seal.
Yield: 9-13 pints depending if you strain first, and the size of your veggies.
UPDATE! After a bit of searching, I found these photos on the net:
Top: 3-4 inch Pickling cucumber; Bottom: 8-9 inch Slicing cucumber; Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Showing slices off a Slicing cucumber. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Dark green, thick-skinned, glossy Slicing cucumber growing on its vine. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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