Pickles and Relish

Here's a recipe for homemade relish that I wanted to share:

1 cup peeled, seeded & chopped cucumber

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 tbsp pickling salt

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

In a colander, place cucumber, onion, red and green peppers. Sprinkle with salt. Toss lightly to mix. Let the colander stand over bowl for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Place salted vegetables in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Heat in the oven until mixture thickens, taking care to remove the dish and stir ingredients at least twice. Spoon mixture into 1-pint jar. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Store relish in refrigerator for no longer than 1 month.

Makes 1-pint jar.

Now perhaps you are wondering why I am outlining a recipe for relish? Anyone who knows me knows I am unlikely to put relish on a hot dog or hamburger, but I've become interested in relishes (even though I don't like pickles) due to a quirk in Greg and I's relationship.

Early this past summer, while visiting with him, we were sitting in the den of his condo trying to decide what we might do about our long distance relationship. We hadn't been together long, but the distance was taking its tole on both of us. In that moment, Greg exclaimed 'we're in a pickle' and I retorted, 'we just need to figure out how to turn it into relish.' Pickles and relishes became a fun way for us to work through the challenges of distance.

In case there are others of you out there who find yourself in a pickle, I hope the recipe provided gives you some insight (or at least a yummy condiment to share on your bbq'd delights while you brainstorm ways to solve your own predicaments).

(Photo courtesy of Sharon Spain and Design Sponge Online.)