Saturday 18 August 2012

I Relish Corn Relish

I love grilling sausages, putting them in a soft bun, and topping them with a generous amount of corn relish. But sausages and corn relish are both things that I've never tried making on my own. I don't have a meat grinder or a sausage casing machine, so I'm not ready to try making sausages just yet. But with corn and peppers in season, I think it's a great time to finally try making corn relish. 

Canning veggies seems a lot harder than making jam because there's the added step of processing the jars and I don't have a pressure canner. But I've learned a few tricks and now I feel comfortable canning without a pressure canner, at least comfortable enough to try making corn relish. 

My corn relish tastes great, my jars are tightly sealed, and I'm satisfied with my efforts. I don't even think I need to keep my first batch as a tester, but I will because it looks so good!

I may not know a lot about canning yet, but I'm an eager learner and I'm excited to head to the market this morning to pick up some more fresh veggies for my next project. 

Read on for a few tips that I've learned about canning using the water bath method and my recipe for Sweet Corn Relish! 

Quick Tips for Canning

- Putting hot food into hot sterilized jars is a must. I sterilize my jars in my oven at 250 degrees while I'm making my jam or relish so my jars are as my food when I'm ready for them. I also boil my lids in a small pot on the stove. 

- Your hot water bath must come over the top of the jars when you're processing. Fill your pot with more water if it doesn't. 

- Be sure your pot has a tight fitting lid. 

- When you're processing, the water must be able to completely surround your jars so you must use a wire rack on the bottom of your pot. A clean dish towel wrapped around each jar will also work in a pinch. The rack or towel will also keep your jars from bumping and possibly breaking. 

- Make sure your jars have sealed when you're done. The indent in the centre of each lid should be down with no give and you should have heard a few loud pops. You can reprocess a jar if it hasn't sealed within 24 hours of your first process. 

- Follow recipes exactly, at least until you're experienced at canning to know what you can change!

- If you're not using a pressure canner, you're limited to canning only high acid foods. But with so many types of pickles, I think of it more like a challenge than a limit. And I'm excited to start my next project!

Sweet Corn Relish

8 cups of corn kernels, about 10 cobs of corn
6 cups of chopped yellow onion, about 3 large onions
2 cups of chopped sweet peppers, about 2 large peppers (I used red and orange, but the colours don't matter)
1/2 cup of chopped hot peppers, seeds removed and peppers tested for spice level prior to use
2 cups of cider vinegar
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1. Place your jars in your oven at 250 degrees to sterilize. Place your lids in a small pot filled with water on your stove. Bring the water to boil to sterilize the lids. Also, bring your hot water bath to a boil so everything is ready when you need it.

2. Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour your relish into your hot jars and leave about 1/4 inch of space at the top of each jar. Remove air bubbles and tighten the lids on each jar.

4. Place your jars in a wire rack or surround them with dish towels. Lower them into your hot water bath and be sure the water covers the tops of the jars. Boil for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the jars from the hot water bath and let them cool. Check the lids to be sure they're properly sealed and enjoy!

I think this corn relish would be great served with any of Life Made Delicious's Best Backyard BBQ Ideas. What do you think?

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

2 comments:

  1. relish looks wonderful #LMDconnector

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much. It tastes delicious too, I hope you try it!

    ReplyDelete