Keep it Simple…..

Today’s recipe is crazy easy. Even the busiest person will have time to throw this together. It consists of four main ingredients, six if you count water and salt, and after the initial set time it comes together in ten minutes. Unless you live in the grocery store, I don’t think you could get there, find your favorite brand, check out, and get back home in that short amount of time. It is that simple!

One of my absolute favorite perks of making this recipe is the lack of preservatives, and other chemical laden junk, that you will find in most of the processed products on the store shelves. Most often you will find a high sodium content, high fructose corn syrup, and words you most likely can’t pronounce. Here is a rundown from one of the most popular brands…

Relish Stock (Cucumbers, Cabbage, Water, Salt, Calcium Chloride), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled White Vinegar, Sodium Benzoate AndPotassium Sorbate As Preservatives, Guar Gum, Alum, Xanthan Gum,Dehydrated Red Bell Peppers, Extractives Of Turmeric, FD&C Yellow #5And Blue #1, Natural Flavorings, Polysorbate 80.

When I first made this relish I seriously thought I had done something wrong. It turned out almost white! I figured that I would take a peek at the ingredients from store bought sweet relish just to see what I might be missing since theirs are usually a nice green and yellow color. I found it, I was missing FD&C Yellow #5 and Blue #1. Hmmmm, I think I will take the lighter colored relish and enjoy what I’m missing. So, when you try this recipe don’t be shocked by the lack of color. You could always add a pinch of turmeric if you wanted to brighten it up.

In my pictures, you’ll probably notice that I have darker green spots in the relish, and absolutely zero red pieces. All that is, is bell pepper. Our grocery store happened to be out of stock of red peppers, but I was wary to buy them anyways because every single red bell I’ve ever bought has been rotten on the inside. So, I just decided to use the green bell that I had on hand. But you can absolutely add any color that you want. It doesn’t add, or take away from the taste, just visual appeal.

I made enough relish to fill one small relish jar. If you want to make a larger batch go for it! If you are like me, and save jars with lids, you can actually reseal them without any issue. For the brine time, I let my cucumbers and bell peppers sit over night, but if you wanted a super quick relish, and one with a bit more snap, you could let them sit for an hour, then drain, rinse, and combine with the sugar, water, and vinegar. Either way, it is really easy, super quick, and tastes amazing. There is still plenty of summer left, next time you go to a BBQ turn some heads with your homemade relish, then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy!

What is your favorite food to top with sweet relish?

NOTE: It tastes better the second day.

Quick Sweet Relish

By Angie Gouchenour

1 small jar

Ingredients

1 ¼  cup cucumbers (Approx 1 medium) – diced very small

¼ cup bell peppers – diced very small (I used green)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup water

¼ cup white vinegar

3 Tablespoons Sugar 2.0

Directions

In a container that you can cover combine the diced cucumbers and peppers (Make sure to dice them small)

Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight

Remove the cucumber and pepper mixture from the fridge and drain and rinse several times

In a small sauce pan combine the water, vinegar, and Sugar 2.0

Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes

Add the cucumber and pepper mixture and boil 5 more minutes

Fill a small jar with hot water and allow it to heat up

Dump the water, and fill with the relish mixture, wipe the rim, and screw on the cap (9 times out of 10 it will seal)

Store in the refrigerator

NOTE: If you want a little more kick in your cooking you can buy Sugar 2.0 with heat resistant probiotics. Works just like original Sugar 2.0, but has some added goodness.