Canadian Sweet Cucumber Relish

This Canadian sweet cucumber relish is the kind of recipe that feels right at home during late-summer preserving season.

It’s made with fresh cucumbers, onions, green peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and a few simple pickling spices. The result is sweet, tangy, a little savoury, and perfect for burgers, hot dogs, sausages, sandwiches, and cold plates.

It’s also a great way to use up a good pile of garden cucumbers.

Ingredients

5 large cucumbers, seeds removed but skin left on
3 large onions
2 green bell peppers
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons coarse pickling salt or kosher salt
1½ cups white sugar
1 cup vinegar
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Ice cubes, as needed

Prepare the Vegetables

Wash the cucumbers and green peppers well.

Leave the cucumber skins on. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Cut the onions, peppers, and garlic into pieces small enough to go through a meat grinder.

Grind the Vegetables

Grind the cucumbers, onions, green peppers, and garlic into a large bowl.

You want a fine relish texture, but don’t turn the vegetables into a smooth purée.

If you don’t have a meat grinder, a food processor can also work. Pulse the vegetables in small batches until finely chopped.

Salt and Rest

Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of pickling salt over the chopped vegetables and mix it through.

Cover the top of the mixture with ice cubes.

Let everything sit for about 2 hours.

This helps pull some of the extra moisture from the cucumbers.

Drain the Vegetables

After 2 hours, remove any ice that hasn’t melted.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a sieve or colander. You may need to do this in batches.

Press gently with a spoon to remove some of the excess liquid. You don’t need to squeeze every bit of moisture out.

Transfer the drained vegetables to a large pot.

Add the Sugar, Vinegar and Spices

Add:

1½ cups white sugar
1 cup vinegar
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Give everything a good stir.

The turmeric gives the relish its familiar yellow-green colour, while the mustard and celery seeds add that classic pickle relish flavour.

Cook the Relish

Place the pot over medium-high heat.

Bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring from time to time.

Once it’s boiling well, reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Then remove the pot from the heat.

This relish doesn’t need to cook for a long time. You want the vegetables cooked and flavoured but still with a little texture.

Fill the Jars

Spoon the hot relish into clean, sterilized jars.

Leave about ¼ inch of space at the top of each jar.

Wipe the rims clean before adding the lids.

If you’re simply making a batch for the fridge, let the relish cool and keep it refrigerated.

For shelf-stable pantry storage, use a current tested canning recipe and processing method from a trusted Canadian canning authority. The amount of vinegar, jar size, processing time, and headspace all matter for safe home canning.