Holy Jalapeno Relish: The Condiment You Didn’t Know You Needed
By Daisy Luther
I saw a big basket of jalapeno peppers at the farmer’s market last weekend and I bought every single one – woohoo! A lot of people might say, “What the heck can a person do with all of those hot peppers?” Well, let me introduce you to my favorite condiment (which also makes a great Christmas present for the spicy food lover in your life!)
The Fresh Version
The following photos show how to make half a pint of jalapeno relish. The canning version of this recipe can be found below.
1. Wash your freshly picked jalapenos.
2. Cut off the stems, then cut the peppers in half.
3. (Optional) Wash a handful of cilantro leaves (amount to taste) and add
them to the bowl of the food processor.
4. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and 2-3 teaspoons of
sugar to the bowl of the food processor
Step 5: Using the pulse function, puree the mixture until it reaches a chunky
consistency similar to that of hamburger relish.
Using a funnel, put your beautiful, bright green jalapeno
relish into a jar. This will stay good in your refrigerator for 2-4 weeks
(if it lasts that long – you may find that you make foods specifically
in order to top them with yummy jalapeno relish. )
The Canning Version
Want to keep some of this emerald-green goodness for the winter? Here’s how to use your water bath canner to put some of this deliciousness back. This is just one of the super-delicious recipes in my book, The Prepper’s Canning Guide.
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds of jalapeno peppers
- 2 cups of sugar (white sugar or turbinado)
- 4 cups of white vinegar
- ½ cup of cilantro leaves (optional)
(Another option, if you want a condiment with less heat, is to replace up to half of the jalapenos with green bell peppers.)
Directions:
- In a food processor, finely chop the peppers. Don’t turn them into a pureed mush – make them the consistency of relish.
- Meanwhile, in a large cooking pot, stir the sugar into the vinegar and bring to a boil.
- Immediately reduce the heat and stir in your hot peppers.
- Use your food processor to chop the cilantro leaves, if you are using them, then stir them into your relish. (Be sure to use the leaves only – the stems are bitter and unpleasant.)
- Bring the relish back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until heated through.
- Ladle the relish into sanitized pint jars allowing ½ inch of headspace.
- Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Be sure to adjust for altitude.
About the Author
Daisy Luther
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, gun-toting blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and lives in the mountains of Virginia with her two daughters and an ever-growing menagerie. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
