Summer Squash Relish

Fresh vegetables - we love them! 
The first dozen or so. 
After that, I mean really, how many summer squash can we actually eat in a three month period, right?

Summer Squash Relish is the solution to the age old question: "What do I DO with it?!" 

My first attempt at canning, this recipe is easy, inexpensive, and absolutely stunning to serve or gift. Come February, when I need to put some color on my dinner table, I'll put out a jar of this relish and brighten things up. I try to make at least three dozen pints of this a year - mostly because this relish is the most requested 'gift' from our pantry. 

I inherited this recipe from Mom English, who has taught me everything I know about canning. I've added my own little money saving know-how to create an even more affordable version. 

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Tip #1 - Buy Cheap, Grow Cheap.
Italian roasting sweet peppers are smaller, thinner-walled, and less expensive than your traditional sweet bell pepper, but they will flavor and color the relish just as well. I can buy them for about 75% less than the cost of sweet bell peppers. You can also buy blemished peppers, just cut out the bad spot before using.

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Mom English's 
Summer Squash Relish

8 cups shredded/chopped Squash
4 cups shredded/chopped Peppers
2 cups chopped Onion (white or yellow)
2 cups Vinegar (white)
2 tsp Celery Seed
2 tsp dry Mustard
3 cups Sugar
1/2 cup water
If you have a food processor, use the shredder blade to chop the veggies into uniform bits. Mom English uses a Salad Shooter and loves it. I shred mine on a hand shredder, then pulse it through my old food processor. 

Tip #2 Eyeball It
Generally, I've gotten to the place where I'll gather all my veggies and chop up what I have - sometimes I have more squash and less peppers, or I only have two small onions - then measure it out into my stock pot. As long as I have 14 cups of chopped veggies, you're good to go. And if you're short a cup or two, that's okay. If you're over more than a cup, add a bit more of the vinegar, sugar, spices...

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Mix all the veggies together in a large stock pot and let the mixture stand for one hour. 

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Let the mixture boil for 10 minutes. 

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Using a canning funnel, fill your pint jars within one inch of the rim with the hot relish. Evenly distribute the liquid - you'll want the relish a bit wet. 

Adjust your sanitized (boiled) lids and bands, hand tighten, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

When you remove the jars from the water, let them sit on your counter, undisturbed, for 24 hours. 

The lid on a sealed jar will be concave. The unsealed jar is convex and you'll be able to push it in and it will pop out. Do NOT touch the lids during the first 24 period, if you press down, you could create a false seal. Unsealed jars can be stored in the fridge for a month, but let them sit for at least a week before using for best flavor. 

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This relish can be used in any recipe that calls for sweet relish. I love to make homemade mayonnaise and mix it with this relish for a delectable tartar sauce for fish. It's also fantastic mixed into potato salad. 

Tip #3
Wait! Don't throw away that gourd-looking yellow squash that your neighbor gave you! You can use over-sized squash for this relish. Cut the squash open the long way, scoop out the seeds, and then shred the squash. I would recommend adding 5 minutes to the cooking time, but it will still be tasty and useful.