Green Tomato Relish

This relish recipe came to me when we lived in Iowa. The typical Iowa vegetable garden was just a shade larger than huge and ours was a typical Iowa garden. We canned countless quarts of beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, and pickles every year. When the first frost hit, the garden was still full of vegetables. The answer as to what to do with all of the vegetables was to make an end of the garden relish.

Today I do not have a vegetable garden. My Wisconsin clay-based soil simply won't support it. However, I found that the Farmer's Markets always have bushels of over ripe vegetables sitting under the benches and tables toward the end of the year. I make deals for these bushels of treasures and use them for my end of the year relish. With each purchase I share a copy of the recipe.

My daughter-in-law talked me into entering the relish in the state fair. I did and it won first prize, a blue ribbon. So now I can call this the award winning end of the year clean out your garden relish.

The quantities listed below are averaged. People who have made the relish have reported back with changes and alterations they have made. Feel free to be adventurous. If you have more tomatoes use more. The same with the onions, cabbage, cukes, etc. I have also used squash, scallions, sweet onions, red cabbage, cauliflower, and corn in the relish.

Another change is to add some hot peppers, chiles, some chili powder, extra cumin, and red pepper. Drive up the heat and you have salsa.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Please leave comments as to how it turned out for you and what changes, if any you made.

　

4 lbs. Green Tomatoes

2 Lbs. Onions

1 Lb. Green Pepper

1 Lb. Red pepper

1 ½ Lbs. Cucumbers

2 large heads of cabbage

6 Cloves of garlic

1 Tbs. of Fennel

2 Big Tbs. of Mustard Seed

1 Tbs. of celery seed

2 Big Tbs. of Cumin

1 Cup of Kosher Salt

2 Cups of sugar

2 Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar

Core and finely chop all vegetables.
Using a non reactive pan layer first the tomatoes, then onion, peppers, cucumbers, and cabbage in the pan. Cover each vegetable with a thin layer of the kosher salt, use the remaining kosher salt on the top.

Cover the pan and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Take out vegetables, stir and drain off all liquid, rinse but not thoroughly. Return mixture to the pan and add garlic, seasonings, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Bring mixture to boil and lower heat to simmer. Continue to cook about 1 to 2 hours until mixture begins to thicken, stirring regularly.

Prepare your jars for canning by first inspecting the lids for nicks, chips or cracks. Place the jars to be used in the dishwasher. Keep the jars hot in the dishwasher until they are to be used. Prepare your lids per the manufacture's instructions. I use a pressure canning method, processing for twenty minutes.