Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe (Canning Recipe Or Refrigerator)

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If you are looking for a Canning Recipe Sweet Pickle Relish this is one you have to try! Whether you can this recipe or make it to keep it in the refrigerator this is one tasty homemade sweet relish to garnish your foods with! I think there might be two camps when it comes to pickle relish. Dill or Sweet? There might be some people who drop in the middle and like both? Like me. But, I guess you are here because you are looking for a sweet relish! 

With all these veggies in season, I thought it was the perfect time to make a Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe. This easy canning recipe can either be used for canning or as a refrigerator sweet pickle relish recipe. 

Canning Recipe:

Sweet Pickle Relish

This time of year it starts to heat up again, which for us means more grilling. There is something about having a fresh pickle relish on hand to top those hot dogs or drop into tuna to flavor things up a bit.

With Labor Day rounding the corner this could be the perfect time for you to try this recipe for sweet pickle relish, even if you decide not to, can the recipe. You could easily cut the recipe in half for a small BBQ and have homemade sweet pickle relish for your barbecues or other sweet pickle dishes. 

But, if you want to can it we think you will love this canning recipe for sweet pickle relish! 

Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe and Canning Instructions

Gather up all your supplies and your cooking utensils needed. If you are going to can follow the directions for preparing your jars and sterilizing them. Here’s the recipe and under are the steps for making the sweet pickle relish. 

• This sweet pickle relish recipe makes 4 pints or 8 half-pints

Ingredients

• chopped cucumbers (about 4)
• chopped onions (2 medium)
• green bell peppers (1 medium)
• red bell pepper (1 medium)
• canning salt or we used this sea salt (1/4 cup)
• sugar (3-1/2 cups)
• celery seed (1 tablespoon)
• mustard seed (1 tablespoon)
• apple cider vinegar (2 cups)

How To Make Sweet Pickle Relish

Step by Step With Images

Rinse off your cucumbers, peel your onion. Chop in a food processor or by hand. 

Combine cucumbers, onions, green and red peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand for 2 hours.

Rinse and Drain thoroughly. Use a spoon, pressing to get out excess water.

Combine sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add drained vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Make sure your jars are clean and sterilized and warm. Lids and rings can be sterilized in a small pot of water and kept warm until needed. 

TIPS:

• You will need clean, sterilized, warm jars for adding the homemade sweet relish even if you are not going to can it. If you have a dishwasher you can wash and keep them warm until needed. Any dishwasher that has a sterilizer will be perfect for prepping your canning or refrigerator jars too! 

• Ladle into warm jars, this keeps the jars from cracking when ladling just cooked sweet relish into the jars.

• If you have never canned I found two videos that might help you with canning sweet pickle relish

• I picked two as the first shows the processes of putting together your sweet pickle relish up to the boiling water canning bath.
• The second shows all the steps of the boiling water canning bath for sweet pickle relish.

Neither of the videos uses the recipe I’m sharing but, show the steps in video form, which is helpful to anyone who has never canned. I looked at several videos and these explained sweet pickle canning recipe the best. If you know of a better one leave it in the comments section.

Canning Recipe Sweet Pickle Relish

Canning jars come in different sizes, use a canning funnel (I called it wide mouth but, really it fits into all sizes of jars) to add your hot sweet pickle relish to your sterilized jars. NOTE: I changed it to 1/2″ head-space to match the guidelines!) 

• I used the FRESHTech canning system for simple and worry-free canning, however, you can also use the water bath method as well. Directions for the water bath method are below.

After adding the finished sweet relish into the warm jars if not canning let the relish cool, lid, and refrigerate. To preserve the sweet pickle relish for keeping longer, follow the next steps for canning.

Sweet Pickle Relish Canning Directions

You can use these steps for canning sweet pickle recipes 

Directions:

1. Prepare your jars by sterilizing
2. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Place jars on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for at least 20 minutes to sterilize.
3. Fill a small saucepan with water and add jar lids and rings. Place on the stove-top over low to medium heat and bring water to 180 degrees. A candy or meat thermometer works great for this
4. Combine cucumbers, onions, green and red peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand for 2 hours.
5. Drain, rinse, and drain thoroughly getting out as much water as you can.
6. Combine sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil
7. Add drained vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes
8. Pack hot relish into your hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. (*note the recipe I used said 1/4 inch but, the guidelines say 1/2″) Be sure to remove any air bubbles and secure your lids on the tops of the jars.
9. This will make about 4 pints or 8 half-pints

Water Bath Directions:

• Add jars to into large pan of boiling water using jar lifters. There should be about 1″ of water covering the jars. If there is too much water, remove some with a ladle. Cover with lid.
• Process for 10 minutes, then lift jars out using jar lifters. Set them on a clean towel to cool. Lids will be slightly concave (curving down in the center) when they are sealed.
• If your just getting started canning grab your jar lifters in a canning kit which comes with basic supplies you’ll need for canning successfully.
• Note: Unopened jars of pickles will last for 1 year (canned), and opened jars will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• I highly recommend using this resource prior to starting or as a reference to ensure proper food safety: For National Center For Home Preservation Preparing and Canning Relishes Guidelines

What are your favorite foods to can? 

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We thought this canning recipe for sweet pickle relish could use a refresh, plus a few more tips to help you make the recipe canned or to use as a refrigerator sweet pickle relish. When I first made this, I hadn’t made pickles in years and I’ve always wanted to make a pickle relish.

I had canned pickles with my grandma when my kids were young with all our garden cucumbers and pickling cucumbers for years. Relishes are just as easy to make and so delicious as a garnish on your foods. We love topping our hot dogs with homemade relish and adding it to our tuna sandwiches. What do you use your relish on? 

We hope you get to try the recipe. Be sure to tag us @DearCreatives on Twitter or Instagram when you make yours. I’d love to see how you enjoyed this pickle relish! 

To see related posts or canning recipes

• Roasted Red Peppers In Olive Oil 
• Canning series
• Homemade Refrigerator Pickle Relish
• Garden Style Sweet Relish Refrigerator 
• Recipe Index

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