By Sherrie Norris
In its verb form, the word relish means to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience. As a noun, it is a spiced side dish or accompaniment to food. This time of year, it’s very easy to combine both meanings into one.
I remember my mother and grandmother making relish, which, to me wasn’t very appealing — chopped vegetables marinating in a tangy juice, poured into jars and stored on the pantry shelf between pickles and kraut. It was something the grown-ups ate with pinto beans, and I just didn’t “get it.”
Things sure have changed through the years!
For those of you fortunate enough this year to have a few garden goods left hanging around to “relish,” perhaps these recipes will come in handy.
Hamburger Relish
1 peck ripe tomatoes
4 large onions
4 large bell peppers
1 cup salt
2 lbs. sugar
1 qt. vinegar
3 Tbs. mustard seed
3 Tbs. celery seed
Peel tomatoes and chop with onions and peppers; add salt. Let drain 24 hours in a cloth bag. Then, empty into a large pan, add sugar, vinegar, mustard and celery seeds. Heat and put into jars. May need a few minutes in hot water bath to seal jars.
Corn Relish
10 ears corn
2 small cabbage heads
5 medium onions
3 hot peppers
4 Tbs. salt
4 Tbs. flour
1½ cup sugar
3 Tbs. mustard
4 cups vinegar
Cook corn; cool and cut from cob. Add chopped cabbage, onions and peppers. Mix dry ingredients; add vinegar. Pour over vegetables and simmer for 40 minutes. Pour into hot jars and seal.
Tomato Relish
18 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup salt
2 cups vinegar
1½ cups sugar
1½ tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. pepper
Place vegetables in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and mix well. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and drain again. In large pot, bring to boil the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and pepper; reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add vegetables; return to boil. Ladle hot relish into hot jars. Process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.