Sweet Green Relish (canned)

I love to can!  It's a great feeling of accomplishment.  I have a dear friend who just passed away about 10 days ago.  Not too long after I was married, she helped me get started with a lot of my canning.  She would lend me key ingredients that I didn't have on hand, sometimes I would borrow canning equipment, and sometimes I even borrowed jars when mine were all full!  Besides the borrowing, she got me lots of instructions and recipes on how to can different things.   I sampled many of her yummy foods at her house like grape juice, peaches, and this sweet green relish.  My husband and I were at her home eating dinner with her and her husband Dee when we were first introduced to this dish.  I believe that we just ate it on the side kind of like a garnish to the dinner.  It was so good; I knew I had to have the recipe.  We eat the relish on hamburgers and hot dogs especially, but my mom likes it on Roast.

As Nellie called it, it's an "End of the Garden Relish".  That's because you use large cucumbers, the ones that got away and grew too big before you noticed, leftover green tomatoes, and red peppers that take time to actually ripen and turn red.

I am grateful for Nellie and all that she taught me.  Her and her husband Dee had a canning kitchen in their basement right next to the storage room, and I always thought this was such an ideal situation. When my husband and I built a new home, we decided a canning kitchen in the basement was a must (now I just can't wait to get it finished).  I am happy to know that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with the knowledge that our relationships continue beyond the grave.  I am happy to know that Nellie will be reunited with her husband and that I too will see her again.  I am thankful for the sweet knowledge that Jesus Christ died for us, and that through his resurrection, we are all given the blessing of resurrection.  Even when they have lived an exemplary life of 84 years like Nellie did, it is always hard to lose a friend.

Sweet Green Relish
1 qt. green tomatoes
1 qt. onions (I use walla walla)
1/2 dozen red peppers
1 dozen green peppers
6 large cucumbers
1/3 c. plain salt

Grind ingredients.  I use a french fry cutter on my Bosch food processor, but I run the ingredient all through twice so they are diced.  Mix with salt and let stand overnight in the fridge.  Drain the next day and rinse briefly.  Stir in ice cubes and let soak a day or so (at least 2 hours).  Take ice water off (drain). Add the following:

6 c. sugar
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 qt. vinegar
2 Tbs. mustard seed
1 Tbs. celery seed

Cook 20 minutes.  Put in hot jars, screw on caps and invert for 5 minutes.  Tip right side up: jars should seal when cool.