I had a pure blast making this simple and delicious relish, and I’m so excited to share my recipe with you! I love all kinds of pickles and relishes, and you’re going to be very surprised at how easy they are to make!

There are no special tools needed, other than a food processor, but you can always grate everything by hand. But running the pieces through your food processor is not only fun, but it goes REALLY quickly! I had everything done so fast that I was almost a little bummed and wanted to play a little longer!

After you have all of your cucumbers and zucchini grated, I find it best to let it chill in the fridge with a little kosher salt to draw out the liquids so that the end product isn’t runny from all of the excess juices.

You then just place your zukes and cukes into a colander, add the rest of your veggies, and lightly press to drain all of the rest of the liquid. I don’t rinse the salt off first, you definitely want that salt in there.

Then place it back into your rinsed and dried bowl, toss, and the veggies are ready to go!

 

 

Part two is also as simple as simple gets! Just place your sauce ingredients into a small saucepan….

 

 

….and simmer the until the sauce is syrupy! Dump your veggies into a dutch oven….

 

 

….and pour the sauce over the veggies! Give it a stir to mix, then simmer again until nice and thick and sweet!

 

 

See? I told you it was just that easy! 😀

 

 

Then ladle your relish into whatever sized jars you like, and let them cool……

 

 

….then place on your lids and chill in the fridge!

 

 

*This recipe is not a canning approved recipe. I’ve only made this for keeping in the fridge. But it keeps for a very long time! (If it lasts that long!!!) So no worries! 😉 Trust me, it will all get eaten in plenty of time before it would have a chance to go bad! 😀 I’ve heard that it can last up to 6 months even, but that theory has never been tested in my house….I’m lucky if I have any left in ONE month!

 

 

I’m the only one of the two of us that likes it, and just one of the neighbors enjoys it, too, but I’m having no trouble blasting right through my two jars all by myself! And I hope our neighbor is doing the same! I admit, that I’ve been sneaking out to the kitchen and eating a forkful or two of it all by itself! Yes, it’s just that good! My hubby doesn’t care for pickles in any way, shape or form….and though I’ve tried to convince him that it’s not evil, his taste buds won’t budge!

So, if you’re a fan of relish or anything pickled, you’re going to LOVE this stuff! Even if you’re the only one who enjoys things “pickled”, it’s totally worth making and really goes fast!

I had mine on a slow-grilled brat and it was heavenly! I also have another recipe coming soon that you’ll really enjoy making using a bit of this sweet nectar of the pickle gods!

So don’t fear the pickle! And I hope that you try this extremely tasty and delicious garden-fresh relish soon! It will make a great condiment and be smash hit for Game Day Sundays! 😀 Just make sure you have a hidden stash all for yourself! 😉

 

 

*The bratwurst used in the photo are Johnsonville Original Brats and were slow-grilled over low/indirect heat for 30 minutes (lid closed), then placed on the top rack and slow-cooked for 30 minutes longer, (also with the lid closed). Low ‘n Slow!! Sooooo good this way! The only way to go! (These are our personal favorite, but you can of course use whatever kind you like.) 
**The buns are my Easy Braided Poppy Seed Buns with added sesame seeds. Easy, semi-homade buns that are sturdy, without being heavy, and can hold up to anything you put on them! 

 

Yield: approx. 3 pints

Garden-Style Sweet Relish (Refrigerator)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Additional Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs. cucumbers, (about 2 large), unpeeled, quartered lengthwise and deseeded
• 1 lb. chunk of zucchini, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise and deseeded
• 2 Tbl. kosher salt
• 1/2 lb. sweet red cubanelle peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

For Sauce:

• 1 cup regular white sugar
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. celery seeds
• ⅛ tsp. ground turmeric

Instructions

Run prepared cucumbers and zucchini through large grater of food processor, place into large bowl and toss to mix. Sprinkle with salt and toss to distribute evenly. Cover bowl with a plate and chill for 1½ hours.

Dump veggies into a colander and drain well, add peppers, shallot and onions, and gently toss with the cucumber mixture until well combined.

Make Sauce: Combine the granulated sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and ground turmeric in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, lower to a steady simmer and cook until syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Dump drained veggies into a dutch oven, large pan or small stock pot. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Stir and heat over medium heat until simmering, simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, until very thick.

Ladle into jars or containers with lids.

Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Place on lids and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Store in refrigerator.