Quick and easy cucumber relish that tastes just like dill pickles! Great for hamburgers or hot dogs. Make a small batch and skip the canning, or make more and preserve for longer storage.
2TablespoonsCoarse Pickling Salt, see Note 2 below
1/4teaspoonturmeric
1/2cupcold water
1cupwhite vinegar
2Tablespoons + 2 teaspoongranulated white sugar
2clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1 1/2teaspoonsdill seeds
1teaspoonmustard seeds
3/4cuponion, finely chopped
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Instructions
Scrub the cucumbers and trim off ends. Cut into chunks.
In a food processor (in batches if your food processor is small), pulse cucumbers 8 to 10 times to cut into 1/8-1/4 inch pieces. *You can make your relish chunky or smoother by simply processing less or more. I like mine a little chunky, to resemble chopped dill pickle. Process a bit more for a smoother relish.
Place the processed cucumbers into a large bowl. Sprinkle cucumbers with salt and turmeric. Stir well to combine, then add the cold water. Stir again, cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring a couple of times as it sits. Drain cucumber mixture in a large sieve. Rinse well under cold water to remove excess salt. Drain again, using your hand to press down on the mixture to remove as much moisture as possible.
In a large saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, garlic, dill seeds and mustard seed to a boil over medium heat Add cucumber mixture and onions to the pot and return to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, has lost its bright green colour and has just a bit of liquid left on the bottom of the pan, about 30 minutes. *Cook until you have just a thin layer of liquid visible at the bottom of the pan. You don't want to cook all the liquid off.
Add hot relish to a clean jar capable of holding about 2 1/2-3 cups (or several jars). Cover with clean lids and, If not canning, allow to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate to use from the fridge as needed. Will keep well in the fridge for several months.
If you wish to can this relish, be sure to properly sterilize the jars and lids. After adding the relish to the jars, use a knife to slice through the mixture in the jars to remove any air pockets. Leave 1/2-inch of headspace in the jars. Add canning lid, then canning ring, screw on ring just until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. After placing the lids on, boil the filled jars in a boiling hot water canner for 10 minutes. After water canning, make sure the jars have sealed (indented on top), then the relish can be stored at room temperature for longer storage.
Makes about 3 cups of relish.
Notes
Small cucumbers are preferred as they have less moisture. If pickling field cucumbers are in season, they would be great. If not, opt for the mini, English-style snacking cucumbers available year-round at the grocery store. If you need to use larger cucumbers, prepare by quartering, cutting away the seeds and moist bits and discarding, then weighing the remaining cucumber.
If you don't have Coarse Pickling Salt on hand, substitute with an equal amount of fine sea salt or coarse Kosher salt, adding an addition 1/2 Tbsp of Kosher salt to the 2 Tbsp.