A great way to use your summer harvest for the upcoming winter feast snack boards. Always use the freshest vegetables for the best end product.
Makes 6 half pints - boiling water processing time 10 minutes
- 7 whole black peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 3/4 cups White Vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Oregano, dried
- 6 cups (about 6 medium) Tomatoes, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
- 3 Bell Peppers (1 each green, red and yellow), seeded and chopped
- 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- 1 large Onion, diced
1. Create a spice bag with a small piece of cheesecloth or a fill yourself tea bag. Place the peppercorns and bay leaves inside it.
2. In a large pot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, garlic, oregano and spice bag. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Then stir in tomatoes, peppers, carrots, celery and onion. Reduce heat to boil it gently, stirring frequently, for 1 hour, until thickened. Remove and discard the spice bag.
4. Ladle hot relish into a hot jar leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
5. Remove the air bubbles with a clean chop stick or skewer, plastic spatula or plastic bubble remover tool. Wipe jar rims with a clean paper towel dipped in vinegar. Center lid on jar and apply band, tighten to fingertip tight (not wrist tight). Place the jar in the boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
5. Water must cover jars by 1 inch. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars cool in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner and place on a dish towel on the counter top - do not re-tighten the lid bands if they are loose. Allow them to cool for 12-24 hours. Then check the lids for a seal, they should not flex when the center is pressed.
Recipe comes from Ball Mason Jar