I "Relish" the idea....

Every once in a while, we just enjoy good quality hot dogs.  This is especially true when they are cooked on the grill on a beautiful summer evening.  

The question then becomes, "What do you like on your hot dog?".  How about dill relish?  My family has seemed to shy away from the sweet pickle relish and only prefers the dill relish.  So, as I looked at the odds and ends left from the cucumber plants, I wondered whether I could make my own dill relish.  I was so very pleased to find out that there were several options!

I used the recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving   Let me show you how easy this really was.

The recipe calls for "Finely chopped cucumbers".  I used my food processor and shredded them.  They were a little long, but as usual I was in a time crunch and was also excited to see if this could work.

The instructions state that you place the shredded cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and Turmeric with water.  I used a plate to cover and keep the cucumbers in the brine as they soaked for 2 hours.  

I diced my onions and placed them in my pot.

I drained and rinsed the cucumbers.  

I added the cumbers and sugar to the saucepot.  

I added the dill seed, and white wine vinegar to the saucepot.  I brought the mixture to a boil.  Then the heat was reduced and simmered for 10 minutes.

Just an FYI, I put these jars into my dishwasher to clean and sterilize while my cucumber mix was soaking for 2 hours.  Here I just removed the clean and hot jars and lined them up to receive the relish.  

After ladling in the hot relish and cleaning the rim, I placed the warmed lids on top.

I processed them for 15 minutes and then removed them.

What's the verdict?  Well, I couldn't get anyone to wait while I took a picture of a whole hot dog...both Rooster Senior and Rooster Junior began to devour everything!

When I asked what the 'verdict' was from these two guys, they both said....."It tastes like relish".  Just so you know, this is High Praise from these two.

It was easy and quick.  Another thing to know is that I had everything on hand that I needed.  I didn't have to go to the store and buy anything.  I think this is the best part of having your food storage in place.

I would do this again in a heartbeat.  It is a great thing to do with the last stragglers of your cucumber patch in the late summer. 

Try it!