This is our favorite homemade sweet relish — it’s my family’s favorite! I added dill and garlic for a little extra flavor, but it is not enough to overpower the sweetness of the relish at all.
It’s delicious on sandwiches, hot dogs or burgers, or serve as you would a pickle to any meal. I love homemade pickles, relishes and jams — nothing beats homemade! This relish is yummy and the only one I make!
There’s a few steps and chopping may take a while — my girls always help me chop and get the brine ready. It goes so much faster when we work together!
Let’s get started!
Toss diced onion in a large bowl.
Add peppers to onion.
Stir onion and bell peppers together. I realized after the fact that I have enough for 2 batches so I removed 2 cups for the next batch!
Time to dice up the cucumber. If you prefer, you can use a food processor. No need to peel or remove seeds.
Sprinkle veggies with pickling salt. Stir well.
Cover with ice cold water. Leave sit on counter.
Here are the veggies after sitting for almost 3 hours.
Instead of cheesecloth, we are using reusable produce bags. It works perfect! Dump half the veggies in, rinse well and squeeze excess liquid out. Dump into a bowl and continue with remaining veggies.
Here are the veggies, drained and ready to be added to the boiled brine.
Combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, dill and garlic in large pot. Stir constantly, bring to a boil.
Bring brine to boil, stirring often.
Dump all the veggies into the brine.
Stir well.
Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes.
Time to put into jars! I am using 500ml jars. Scoop into hot prepared jars. Make sure to get both veggies and the brine.
Stir around to release any air bubbles, top up with relish if you need to.
Wipe rims.
Place seal on. place rings on, just finger tight. I never over tighten the rings otherwise you run the risk of jars breaking.
Ready for the canning pot!
I use a water bath. Process 250ml jars for 10 minutes or 15 minutes for 500ml jars. Adjust for altitude if necessary and always follow provincial/state rules for safe canning.
Carefully remove from pot, place on towels on cutting board. Let cool. Jars will snap or pop once sealed. Store in a cool dark place. Best if eaten within a year. I have eaten this relish after 2 years, but as always follow recommendations to avoid botulism.
Sweet Dill Relish
9 cups cucumber, unpeeled, chopped fine
2 cups onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper – I used some red, orange and green bell pepper
5 tbsp pickling salt
2 to 3 quarts ice cold water
2-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups pickling vinegar
1-1/2 tsp mustard seed
1-1/2 tsp celery seed
Handful chopped dill
3 cloves garlic, minced
Combine onion, bell peppers and cucumber together. Sprinkle with salt and stir well. Add enough cold water to cover veggies. Let sit on the counter for 2-1/2 hours. Drain. Rinse well. Put veggies in cheesecloth and squeeze liquid out. Set aside.
Combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, dill and garlic in large pot. Stir constantly, bring to a boil.
Once brine is boiling, add veggies. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Spoon into prepared jars, leaving 1/2” headspace. Wipe rims, place seals on and rings and process in a water bath — 250ml jars for 10 minutes or 500ml jars for 15 minutes. Adjust for altitude if necessary. Be sure to follow provincial/state rules for safe canning. Remove from canning pot and place on board covered in towels and let cool. Any jars that do not seal, place in fridge.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours