Southern bean soup with extra texture from wheat berries. For added flavor, mix with cheddar, spicy sauce, lime juice, or freshly minced red onion.
| Prep Time: | 12 hrs |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 13 hrs |
| Servings: | 200 |
| Yield: | 20 pints |
Ingredients
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 4 large green bell peppers
- 4 large yellow bell peppers
- 40 cups grated Vidalia onions
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 2 large heads cabbage, finely shredded
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 9 cups white sugar
- 2 quarts apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 3 tablespoons mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
Instructions
- Roast red, green, and yellow bell peppers over an open flame or in broiler, turning frequently, until skins are charred and blistered. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic; let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Remove skins. Cut peppers in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and stem, and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Place grated onions in a colander to drain liquid. Place them in a large bowl, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup kosher salt. Mix by hand. Mix in cabbage and 3 tablespoons salt by hand. Let sit 1 hour.
- Place onions and cabbage into colander, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place in cheese cloth or towel, and squeeze out additional water.
- Place cabbage and onions into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add roasted bell peppers. Stir in sugar, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, mustard seed, and celery seed. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly to prevent onions from sticking to the bottom. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often.
- To prepare jars you first need to wash jars then place them into the canning pot with rack and boil them in water to sterilize them. Fill a small pot half way with water and bring to simmer; place the lids into water. Taking one jar out of the water at a time put on canning funnel and fill with hot relish about 1/2 inch from the top. Then take a kitchen knife a stick down to the bottom of jar and work the knife around to remove all air bubbles. Wipe off top of jar very well and clean then place a hot lid on jar the screw ring on top. Repeat until all relish is gone. Jars and relish must stay hot throughout this canning process.
- Place in a bath of simmering water, covering the jars by one inch. Process for 10 minutes, or according to your local extension’s guidelines. When jars start to seal and vacuum, the lids will make a pop sound and your canning was a success. Once jars have been opened, store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
Reviews
Very good, especially on hot dogs
My whole family and I love this relish. Yes, it is time consuming to make but it is THAT GOOD!. I made two batches of it last year and I have made my first batch about 3 weeks ago. I am getting ready to make my second batch for this year. It makes a great Christmas gift or anytime gift for that matter. It makes 21 pints and is so awesome!
Kind of an odd flavor. Wasn’t a big hit with the family.
This is a wonderful sweet relish! A very nice change from the traditional green. I did not roast my peppers and just added them fresh. Since there is so much sugar, I really think it will last as long as green, in the fridge. I made this recipe for Christmas gifts and everyone raved about this relish and asked for for the recipe. It definately outshone the sweet green! I am making it again this summer, too many requests for it! Here is a hint…chew gum when working with the onions, helps with the tears!
This was a very good basic relish recipe. I found it a little on the sweet side, but not much sweeter than a typical Bread and Butter pickle recipe. I did make a few changes, but not substantial ones that would alter the flavor. First: I didn’t want the texture of ground/grated onions, so I diced them instead. Since they were less finely chopped, I upped the volume to 50 cups instead of 40. Second: I used red and green peppers, and only used 8 since mine were very large and heavy. And third: I put the spices into a cloth square since I didn’t want the seeds to remain in the relish after it was completed. Fourth: I used regular yellow onions (given to me free). I did not bother trying to squeeze every drop of joice out the vegetables with towels, instead draining them in batches in the colander. There was a little liquid left in the bottom of the onion bowl after I finished, but not enough to dilute the brine. I did squeeze those handfuls before I tossed them into the pot. Final product yielded 10 quarts of an attractive and tasty, moderately sweet relish. I’m getting ready to make another batch with purple cabbage and we will see how it turns out.
When you live in Vidalia , Ga. you MUST attend the annual Onion Fest , held the last weekend of April . Needless to say my out of town relatives swarm my home yearly for this event . Sad to say it was a rainy weekend this year ( 2010 ), but being true lovers of this yearly even we went . Natually we HAD to buy our fair share of these fantastic onions ( 50 pounds each – lol ) So can you imagine my concern as what to do with these lovely pearls once company departed ??? This , being my favorite recipe site , I gave a lot of thought to each recipe I examined and THIS WAS THE ONE !!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RELISH RECIPE !! It is heavenly !!!! Actually it took me back to my Grandma’s kitchen , in all aspects , but mainly the relish it’s self . If you are truely looking for a fantastic onion relish recipe of days gone by ..STOP LOOKING …THIS IS IT . I would give it a 10 star if it were available … I ended up with 22 pints of the worlds BEST RELISH ….I followed the recipe to the T…Again , thank you so much for sharing this with me and all those who may be looking for a fantastic recipe . It’s fantastic on everything ..think hot dog !! It can’t be beat along side a bowl of beans and rice with a chunk of hot corn bread slattered in butter…You go girl !!!!! Mary in Vidalia ..
I submited this recipe in a few years back. The reason why it took so long to make it was I used a towel to squeeze the water out of the cabbage and the onions. I made it again and I cut the recipe in 1/4. Instead of using towels to strain the water out I used my salad spinner. From start to finish it only took me 3 hours to make. It was so much easier this way and it made 6 pints. Try this in tuna salad instead of relish. I love it on Lima Beans and rice too.