Have you ever had this on Hot Dogs? Well, you are in for a treat.
Every year I was having yellow squash to waste because there was always more than we could eat fresh before they got too big. If I fry, bake, or put on the grill, I like them small with no big seeds in them then I came up with a Pickled Squash that was good, but it also calls for very small squash. You can see what a dilemma I was in!
So, I started searching for ways to use up my squash whether they were big or not and came up with this Squash Relish. I have been making it every summer now for a couple of years. Great way to use up an abundance of yellow squash from your garden!
My husband truly loves it! He will request me to put on a kettle of Pinto Beans or Horticultural Beans so he can eat this squash relish with it. Also when we have Hot Dogs either on stove, broil, grill, or open fire he always has this on them. A jar makes a great gift… (if your husband will let you part with a jar) 🙂 or any recipe that calls for pickle relish. Always a big hit when I share it at cookouts, too!
This colorful, sweet, and tangy canned relish is made of yellow summer squash, green, red and hot peppers, and onions.
I believe if you try a taste of this you will want to make your own!
Here is my recipe, you may want to tweak it or leave as it. Its SO GOOD!
Wait! Don’t throw away that gourd-looking yellow squash that your neighbor gave you! You can use over-sized squash for this relish. Cut the squash open the long way, scoop out the seeds, and then shred the squash. I would recommend adding 5 minutes to the cooking time, but it will still be tasty and useful.
Ingredients:
12 cups diced Yellow Squash (do not peel)
2 cups diced Onions
1 tablespoon Canning Salt
1 cup chopped Green Bell Peppers (I used 1/2 cup green and 1/2 cup red pepper)
1-4 Hot Peppers, deseeded ([optional] or can leave seed in
and have a hot relish)
3 cups Sugar
2 cups White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Celery Seed
1 teaspoon Mustard Seed
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Alum
1 teaspoon Pickling Crisp
1 (4 ounce) JarPimentos
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Mix the squash, onions and salt.
Generally, I’ve gotten to the place where I’ll gather all my veggies and chop up what I have (I use a food processor)- sometimes I have more squash and less peppers, or I only have two small onions. If you come up short that is okay, as long as you’re close to what is called for in the chopped veggies, you’re good to go. If you’re over, add a bit more of the vinegar, sugar, spices…
- Add enough water to cover all and let stand 1 hour.
- After the soaking period, pour off water and rinse well.
- Transfer to a stock pot and add the other ingredients
- Mix and boil8-10 minutes. Put in jars and seal. Yield 4-5 Pints
NOTE: I have several people ask if I do a water bath or pressure cooker to seal my jars.
No, I do not! I do all of my canning like my Mama always did and have done them this way for over 60 years and never had problems with my jars not sealing. Here is what I do:
Sterilize my jars to get them ready to fill:
1. You can do this by putting them in a dishwasher on hot and run thru a cycle leaving them in dishwasher until ready to use.
2. If you had already sterilized your jars like this before and have kept them in an airtight container you can just run some water (hottest you can make it) into your sink and let them set there until ready to use, keeping the water hot as you can.
3. Put a large pot on top of your stove big enough for your jars with water. After water starts boiling, place your jars into the boiling water and turn stove down so water will be just simmering then remove a jar when needed. I use a jar lifter to remove from the hot water.
4. Place them in your stove oven. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to adjust the oven racks to accommodate the jar’s height. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and do not remove anything or open the oven door before the 10 minutes have elapsed. Turn the oven off and leave the jars in the oven to keep them warm until you’re ready to use them for canning. Always use oven mitts or thick hand towels to remove the jars because they will be hot. If you are reusing Mason jars from previous years of canning, examine the jars for any cracks or wear that might affect their suitability for reuse.
Getting my flats ready before placing them on my jars:
Put a small saucepan on top of the stove with water and bring the water to a boil. Drop your flats into the boiling water then reduce your burner so will just simmer. Remove a flat with tongs when ready to put on your jar. This heats the rubber on the flat and helps the jar to seal. Place your rim on and tighten the flat/rim onto the jar. Place jars on the counter and wait. Sometime in the next hour your jars will be making a “pinging” or “popping” noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the flats being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.
