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September 21, 2008 · 5 Comments

Red Pepper Relish

Recipes

When September rolls around and the red peppers start showing up at the Farmers’ Market, I get out my canning equipment and make red pepper relish. I’ve had this recipe more than 25 years, having gotten it from the mother of an old boyfriend. She was an exceptional cook, and in the early 1980s, I had never tasted anything as sophisticated as red pepper relish over cream cheese spread on water crackers. I lost track of the boyfriend long ago, but the recipe gets used every fall.

jars of relish

Jars of red pepper relish ready for the pantry!

I’ve never had good luck growing red peppers, so I usually buy them, but I picked a few Haralson apples from my tree to use in the relish.  This recipe makes 9-10 half pints, which is a nice size for gift giving. There is a waiting period in the middle of the recipe, so plan to start early in the day or even the night before.

Red Pepper Relish

  • 10 red peppers, finely chopped (I use a food processor.)
  • 6-10 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (Add more if you like it hot, less if not.)
  • 4 cups tart apple, finely chopped (about 6 large apples)
  • 3 TBSP salt

Mix all this together in a large pot and let it sit for 3 to 6 hours. It will look like the photo above right.

When the marinating is done, drain the liquid from the vegetables and stir in:

  • 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
  • 3 cups sugar
  • Thyme or tarragon, if you’d like.

Put the pan on the heat and boil the mixture for 30 to 45 minutes. (The recipe says 30, but it’s always more.) It should thicken and look like the picture at left. (Be warned: Your house will stink like vinegar when you do this!  Open the windows, because it’s worth it.) While the mixture is boiling, get out jars and lids, wash them, and put a huge pot of water on the boil. (If you’ve never canned before, check out this site.) Sterilize the jars. When the mixture is ready, spoon the relish into jars, wipe the tops, screw on the lids, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Let the jars cool completely before storing. In addition to the appetizer mentioned above, the relish livens up any bland dish. It’s great on top of butternut squash soup or macaroni and cheese.

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« September Slump?
Hurry Up, Make Pesto »

Comments

  1. Tom says

    October 13, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    Hi Mary, we still have a bunch of red peppers at our house-this recipe looks like a great way to use them.

  2. cityslipper (home kitchen garden) says

    December 10, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    I’m a great fan of red pepper relish (recently blogged the recipe my mother-in-law uses), but I haven’t tried one that included hot peppers and apples. Looks great. I’ll give it a go next fall.

    Thanks!

Trackbacks

  1. Hurry Up, Make Pesto « My Northern Garden says:
    September 22, 2008 at 8:23 am

    […] upon us, it’s time to make as much pesto as possible. Yesterday while I was waiting for my red pepper relish to marinate, I decided to make a batch of pesto for freezing. Even if you do not have much freezer […]

  2. Preserving the Harvest: The Options says:
    September 16, 2013 at 10:31 am

    […] it. Canning is the most labor-intensive storage method, but homemade jam, delicious tomato sauce, red pepper relish, canned peaches, plums or applesauce and many of the other canned food items are so good that many […]

  3. From Container to Cookpot: A Squash Soup Story – My Northern Garden says:
    August 10, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    […] elevating a simple soup and sandwich supper to gourmet levels. Of course, I served it with the red pepper relish that I make each […]

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