It’s been a bountiful year for cucumbers, that’s for sure. When I looked in the refrigerator last weekend and saw a half dozen cucumbers and a few peppers, I realized I needed to do something with them to make way for what would undoubtedly be more this week. So I made the Sweet Cucumber Relish you see below. It’s hugely adaptable so if you want to make some, consider this just a general notion of what you could do. Great way to use up any quantity of cucumbers, any quantity of peppers, etc.
Ingredients:
3 large cucumbers, washed, seeded, and cut into 4 large chunks 2 medium white onions, quartered 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded 1 large green bell peppers, seeded 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons mustard seed 2 teaspoons celery seed
Preparation:
Grate the cucumbers using the grating disc in a food processor, or the medium-sized holes on a box grater. Use the steel blade of the food processor to pulse cucumbers until finely chopped. Repeat with onions and peppers.
Place chopped cucumbers, onions, and peppers in a medium bowl and mix in salt. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Pour vegetable mixture out into fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water and strain, pushing the vegetables against the side of the strainer using a rubber spatula to remove as much water as possible.
In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, and celery seed to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add vegetables, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vinegar has reduced and the relish is the consistency you prefer, remove it from the heat, put it in jars and refrigerate.