Nitrate & Nitrite Free Sweet Pickle Relish
Bright, tangy, and just sweet enough, this homemade relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — from hot dogs and burgers to potato salad and deviled eggs. Store-bought relish is one of those sneaky products that can contain preservatives and curing agents you'd rather avoid, so making your own from scratch puts you completely in control of what goes into the jar. The process starts with fresh cucumbers, onion, and green bell pepper, salted and rinsed to draw out excess moisture before they ever hit the pot. A double-vinegar brine of white distilled and apple cider vinegar gives the relish its signature pucker, while granulated sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric round everything out with warmth and color. Simmering the vegetables in that brine for just ten minutes keeps them tender with a satisfying little bite — never mushy. The result is a vibrant, golden-green relish that looks gorgeous in the jar and tastes like something your grandmother would have made on a summer afternoon.
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Learn more →Ingredients
32 servings
- 1 ½ lbs cucumbers (about 3 medium), finely diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup white distilled vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp celery seeds
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Combine the diced cucumbers, onion, and green bell pepper in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the vegetables and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, until the vegetables have released a significant amount of liquid.
- 2
Transfer the salted vegetables to a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Press firmly with your hands or the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible — the vegetables should feel noticeably drier.
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