Hot Pepper Relish

There are a few more things still to harvest at Tulipwood, and my favorite are the red pepper plants still ripening next to the wood pile. We had quite a lot of them, but the deer decided they liked them too, so the harvest wasn’t quite as abundant as we were hoping. But I gathered up as many as I could to make a Hot Red Pepper Relish recipe, and I have to say we couldn’t stop eating it. I think it lasted about 24 hours, during which we smothered it on sandwiches, mixed it in tuna, and just generally ate it by the spoonful. 

These red peppers weren’t quite as spicy as I wanted my relish to be, so I tossed in a few jalapeño peppers as well (removing the seeds so as not to let it get too out of control). 

Since these red peppers weren’t too spicy, I left the seeds in and just removed the stems. 

What was nice about mixing in the jalapeños too was that it added a little contrast in the color of the relish. You could also add orange and yellow peppers to make it especially festive. 

This recipe has a wonderful tang from the vinegar to go with the spice. And just a hint of sweetness. You can really play with the flavor balance to suit your mood and store it in the refrigerator for at least 6 months in a mason jar. 

This was one of the many things we did with the hot pepper relish. Mmmm.

This makes a perfect gift as you think about homemade gifts for the upcoming holidays. But you may just want to keep it for yourself, you deserve it.

And if you’re a fan of pickled things like we are, be sure to check out our Library of Pickled Recipes!

Print Recipe

“Hot Pepper Relish”

Prep Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 1 pint

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound hot red and green peppers stemmed, and seeds removed for a more mild relish
• 1/2 pound yellow onion quartered
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Combine the peppers and onion in a food processor and pulse until uniform and finely minced.
• Transfer to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, sprinkle in the salt and mix. Let strain for 1 hour.
• In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add in pepper onion mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer contents to an airtight container and store in refrigerator up to 6 months.

Notes

The red peppers in our garden were quite mild, so I kept the seeds in and added 1 deseeded jalapeño to the mix for the perfect kick. Taste your peppers and adjust accordingly!