Piccalilli

This makes a pretty good replacement for sweet pickle relish. Prep time does not include overnight draining time.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 45 mins
• Yields: 10-12 pints

Ingredients

• Veggies

• 3  lbs green tomatoes, chopped
• 5  green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3  red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 4  medium onions, chopped
• 1  head green cabbage, chopped
• 4  cucumbers, preferably seedless english cucumbers,chopped or 6  regular cucumbers, seeded and chopped
• 4  jalapeno peppers, seeded if desired,and finely diced
• 4 -5  zucchini, chopped
• 2 -3  cups kosher salt

• Pickling Brine

• 2  quarts distilled vinegar
• 2  lbs light brown sugar (1 lb for a less sweet relish, but never less than 1 lb)
• 2  tablespoons mustard seeds, divided
• 1  teaspoon whole allspice
• 2  teaspoons celery seeds
• 2  cinnamon sticks, broken up
• 1  teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 -6  whole bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 -2  teaspoon  pickling spices
• 2  teaspoons ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions

1. Special Equipment: 12 Wide-mouth pint canning jars, with new lids and rings Canning jar lifting tongs (if tyour don't have them, BUY THEM! They aren't just a convenience; they are safety equipment!) Wide-mouth canning funnel.
2. Water canning pot.
3. Wash and chop all vegetables.
4. If using a food processor, be careful, because it is easy to chop them too finely or to almost puree the softer ones.
5. If desired, you will obtain a much better texture by finely dicing everything, or at least the softer veggies, by hand.
6. Transfer veggies to a very large nonreactive bowl, and toss with kosher salt.
7. Do not use iodized salt!
8. Toss well, cover loosely, and allow to set overnight, tossing every hour or so at first, and a few times later on.
9. Transfer veggies to a large colander, cover with plastic wrap, weight down, and allow to drain for 1 hour.
10. I use the 2 gallon stock pot, filled with water, that I am going to use to cook the piccalilli.
11. If desired, rinse veggies to reduce salt, and drain well again.
12. Empty the pot of water, and add the vinegar, brown sugar, 1 Tbsp mustard seeds, and all of the other spices.
13. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly to dissolve the sugar.
14. Strain through a COARSE strainer just to remove very large spices (a coarse colander works well), and return liquid and whatever solids passed through the strainer back into the pot.
15. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp mustard seeds and the well drained veggies.
16. Increase heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, but not mushy.
17. While brine and veggies are simmering and cooking, sterilize new canning lids and pint jars, preferably wide-mouth (I sterilize the lids in a small saucepan of simmering water and the jars on the bottom rack of the dishwasher for a complete cycle, including the drying cycle).
18. Also fill the water processor ¾ full of water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
19. When piccalilli has cooked to desired consistency, fill hot jars with the boiling hot solids and liquid, leaving about ½” of headspace.
20. Tap jar bottoms lightly on counter to remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims well with a damp towel to clean them, top with sterilized lids, adjust tops to make sure they are properly situated, and seal with rings.
21. Transfer jars to water processor, removing water as needed with a ladle.
22. Cover, and process for 10 minutes (15 minutes above 6,000' altitude), starting timing when water returns to a full rolling boil.
23. Remove jars, using tongs, and gently set on a thick towel, upside-down, until cooled to room temperature.
24. Turn over jars, and check for seal by pressing down on lids.
25. If they are down and don’t pop in and out, the seal is good.
26. If seal is not good, reprocess with new lids to try for a seal, or store jars that did not seal in refrigerator until used.
27. Allow to set for at least 3 weeks before using.