Sweet Pepper Relish & Hot Pepper Relish

As promised when we made Pepper Jelly, we are now going to use the left-over peppers.

In this blog we are going to make Sweet Pepper Relish and Hot Pepper Relish.

I know these titles are not going to fit the product for some people. I have had people at craft shows sample Pepper Jelly (Green) and tell me that it is too “Hot”. Sometimes people hear or see the word “Pepper” and no matter what it is, it’s hot. These are the same people who want Kraft to make a mild Ketchup. Some people have very delicate taste buds. To these people, I say sit this blog out, we will be back to sweet and mild maybe the next blog.

Also at the end I will tell you how to make a delicious Hot Pepper Sauce for your “greens”. Many people will not know what I am talking about, but here in Georgia, we like to eat Turnip Greens and Collard Greens. We also like to put Pepper Sauce on them to make them taste even better. If you have never had a Sunday Dinner of fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens and corn bread, you have missed one of the Best Southern traditions. Not everybody likes “greens” but I am sure you can find other ways to use Pepper Sauce.

First step in making any relish is to get all the ingredients, get them processed and ready to cook with.

So for Sweet Pepper Relish, you will need to buy (or pick):

Bell Peppers – enough for 8 cups chopped (a mixture of colors would make a pretty relish)

Cubanelle (a mild to medium type of pepper) or Sweet Banana Peppers – 8 cups

Vidalia Onions – 4 cups

Mustard seed – 4 tablespoons

Celery seed – 1 tablespoon

Salt (Kosher or canning) – 1 tablespoon

White Vinegar – 7 cups

Sugar – 3 cups

Don’t cut the peppers or onions too small, you want it a little chunky. Thaw peppers taken from freezer. thaw on a folded paper towel to soak up and liquid.

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook   about 1 minute, stirring till everything is mixed very well. Don’t over cook, everything will get soggy. You want your relish to have a texture. Remove from heat and ladle into prepared jars. (8 ounce or 16 ounce size with relish the larger jars are OK). Use the size you think your family will eat. Left-over relish goes back into the fridge for next time. Just keep the dome and rings clean. They will rust due to the vinegar, so wipe them off regularly. Mary Lynn has bought Plastic lids at Wal-Mart and she replaces the metal with plastic after opening. This will make the jar last all the way to the end.

For Hot Pepper Relish:

Bell Peppers – enough for 4 cups chopped (a mixture of colors would make a pretty relish)

Cubanelle (a mild to medium type of pepper) or Sweet Banana Pepper – 4 cups

Jalapeno’ Peppers – 4 cups

Vidalia Onions – 4 cups

Mustard seed – 4 tablespoons

Celery seed – 1 tablespoon

Salt (Kosher or canning) – 2 tablespoons

White Vinegar – 7 cups

Sugar – 3 cups

If you really want a “Hotter” relish use the following in place of Cubanelle or Sweet Banana Peppers. You still want Bell Peppers in your hot for their taste.

At one time, they were the hottest peppers in the world. They could make most people cry for help.

Hotter Pepper Relish– as above, but add

4 cups Jalapeno’ Peppers

1/3 cup Red Pepper Flakes

2 cups – Habanero peppers.

Cook as above, but be careful the smell will get quite strong and will make your eyes water. When you are preparing any peppers, mild or strong, it is better to wear disposable latex gloves or some other type if you have allergy to latex. Always remove the seeds and white membrane on all peppers. Sweet peppers have a membrane, if not removed, will give a bitter taste to your relish.  Make sure you remove ALL seeds from hot peppers, they will turn your relish into a super hot taste and no flavor. Seeds also usually don’t go well with anybody. You see them trying to politely remove them from their mouth. So just don’t put any in.

Variations on the above recipes can be made with a multitude of peppers, sweeter or hotter. Don’t change the other ingredients, as they make the relish have a great taste.

Note the size as compared to a plastic spoon in with the peppers. Small in size, but big in heat and flavor.

Note the size of the plastic spoon in the peppers. They are small with a big shot!A hot pepper you can use, but use it sparingly is Thai Peppers. They will add a great flavor and a pile of heat to the party. Thai peppers don’t look like much, but a little sure goes a long way.

One of the things I like to make with Thai Peppers is Pepper Sauce. If you don’t know what that is, it is the stuff on the tables with the little peppers in all that vinegar in the shake bottle. Thai peppers should have the stems remove and use a knife and cut a hole in the pepper for the vinegar to get in, other wise the peppers will just float.   You can use different peppers for this, but the small whole peppers look best. Even with some Carrot added for taste and color.

So looks like we got in more than just Pepper relish. Well that is how I am, you always get more conversation than was planned. When I get to talking about cooking and eating, wll there is just no way to shut me up.

This blog was a request from one of my cousins. They have planted a big garden and have already made a beautiful jar of Pepper Relish, maybe they will try my recipe for the next batch of peppers.

I am open to most any request for the next blog or two or seven. So please don’t be shy, Leanna ask for recipes in my first blog and I sent her 6 different ones. I have not found a way to post my replys to your questions, so I will use e-mail for this purpose unless it is somethng like this one.