BEST Corn Relish
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This homemade Corn Relish recipe is superbly delicious, fabulously versatile, and comes together in a snap! We provide canning instructions so you can preserve the taste of summer corn all year long!
One of the things I love about canning is that it enables you to enjoy the fresh flavors of Summer produce long after the growing season is over. It’s also a great way to make use of sales when you can buy in bulk for a good price and especially if you have your own garden or fruit trees. And of course there are few things as satisfying as walking into your pantry or out to your garage shelf and seeing jars and jars of homemade goods ready for your family to enjoy. And seeing jars of homemade sweet corn relish is something I get especially excited about!
This year we celebrated our first harvest of homegrown sweet corn and let me tell you, what a celebration it was! The ears of heirloom sweet corn couldn’t have been more picture perfect and the flavor was as good as the best corn we’ve had anywhere. We harvest just shy of 200 ears of corn, shucked them all, blanched and froze a lot of cobs and froze the rest of creamed corn. But not before setting some aside to make our favorite sweet corn relish!
How Long Does Corn Relish Keep?
If you follow the canning directions and keep the jars stored in a cool, dark place the corn relish will keep for a year. Once opened keep the jars in the fridge and use within 2 months.
How to Use Corn Relish
Corn relish can be used in a variety of ways to add a tangy and sweet flavor to your dishes. Here are a few ways to use corn relish:
- Topping for Grilled Meat, Chicken, Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Seafood
- Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas
- Salads: It’s great in both leafy green salads and pasta salads
- Sandwiches and Wraps
- A dip for tortilla chips
- Baked Potatoes
- Bruschetta
- Scrambled Eggs or Omelets
- Rice and Grain Bowls
Corn Relish Recipe
Let’s get started!
Something that isn’t remotely necessary but that I’m kind of OCD about it getting all the veggies chopped uniformly. You can chop by hand or use a food processor but appearance-wise relishes just look so much nicer when the veggies are all uniform in size and shape. A gadget that my mother-in-law got me as a gift a few years ago and that I love to use for purposes like this is the Vidalia Chop Wizard, which doesn’t appear to be available anymore, but this vegetable chopper does the same thing plus has a lot of additional features. It enables you to chop your veggies in perfectly uniform sizes.
Finely chop the onions.
Do the same with the red and green bell peppers and the celery ribs.
Remove the husks and silk from the corn and cut the kernels off the cobs.
Put everything in a pot.
Add all remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Spoon the mixture into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space and seal with lids. Place in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Here is the canner I use (I have an older model) and it comes with all the accessories: Granite Ware Enamel-on-Steel Canning Kit
Wait a week or two before eating the relish to allow time for the vinegar to mellow out.
Keep the jars stored in a cool dark place. They’ll keep for at least a year. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 2 months.
Enjoy!
For more delicious pickled vegetable recipes be sure to try my:
- Giardiniera
- Pickled Carrots
- Dill Pickle Relish
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- Pickled Onions
- Pickled Pepperoncini Peppers
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Pickled Green Beans
- Pickled Okra
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Turnips
- Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Beets
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BEST Corn Relish
Ingredients
- 10 fresh ears of sweet yellow corn , husks and silk removed, slice kernels off the cob with a sharp knife
- 2 large red bell peppers , cored, and finely chopped
- 2 large green bell peppers , cored and finely chopped
- 8 ribs celery , finely chopped
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion , finely chopped
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 4 whole allspice berries
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Ladle the relish into hot sterilized jars and seal with lids. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
- Keep stored in a dark, cool place. Will keep at least one year. Once opened, store in the fridge for up to two months.Makes approximately 8 pintsNote: Wait a week or two before eating the relish to allow time for the vinegar to mellow out.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 19, 2015
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Great recipe! This was my first foray into canning, and your recipe is delicious. I made a couple of edits. I used 1.5 cups stevia sugar-substitute and 0.5 cups sugar. It worked out fine. And I used a large poblano and small jalapeno in place of one of the green bell peppers (mainly because that is what I had available from my small garden but also because I thought it would give a little smoky kick to the relish which it did). Thank you for this recipe!
Fantastic, Lori, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Please can you give me a rough idea of how much sweetcorn (in weight) equals 10 of your corn husks? Thanks :-)
Can I leave out the peppers?
Hi Brinda, yes you can.
Use only Fresh-Off-the-Cob Corn. Canned or frozen corn looses a lot of flavor (and vitamins). Use ONLY fresh raw ingredients. No green peppers, I use Red, Orange & Yellow peppers. Also, add a few whole peppercorns and a sliver of garlic to each jar. Numm
Made this today! Fabulous! Used 16 ears of corn and the rest of the recipe as listed. Safeway had 8 ears for $1.00 so I used the 16 and it’s great! Mom made this many many years and canned 75 or more pint jars. Always a jar in the fridge! Was my job to grind the other veggies. Took me back! I used food processor for other veggies. Thanks for the recipe and memories with mom!
That’s fantastic, C.J., I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Can I put canning spices in a little pouch instead of what you have suggested or if I put a stick of cinnamon and cloves do I need to put the other spices.
Hi Lucille, yes you can put them in a pouch and if you prefer cinnamon and cloves feel free to use those too.
should I cook it longer or will it thiCken UPON COOLING?
Hi Nancy, don’t cook it longer or it will become too soft. It will thicken over time as the relish sits.
Can you freeze this instead of canning it?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried freezing it but it should be fine.
I was just wondering if you could substitute frozen or canned corn and if so how what would be the equivalency to 10 ears of corn?
Added a bit of turmeric and coriander, in end used some potatoes floor to thicken abit. Smells good. Looking forward to trying it in a few weeks.
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Great recipe! I used a few whole cloves and a stick of cinnamon to replace the allspice berries. Seems pretty good. It took me longer though to do prep and it made a bit less for me but I expected some variation in vegetable sizes. It’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sam, thank you!
Hello Kimberly,
I’m wondering about the mustard seeds, what I can use in place of them or instead of them.
Hi Minnie, there isn’t really a substitute for them but you can simply omit them.
My grandmother used 1/4 c. Ground mustard. Her recipe is similar to this one.
The recipe states 8 stalks of celery. Are the stalks removed before canning or should they be chopped in the relish?
Hi Jill, sorry for the confusion – the celery is finely chopped and added to the rest of the ingredients.
I am going to make this today but wanting to use what is in my garden. I plan to replace the celery with peeled and seeded cucumber and/or zucchini. I may add a few celery leaves finely chopped for flavour. I am also thinking of adding one small hot pepper. I will let you know.
Turned out amazing!!! Absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try it in a couple weeks.
Hi there, I want to make this recipe shortly. I’ve never heard of All Spice berries. Can I just use ground All Spice and if so what quantity would you suggest. Thank you very much.
Hi Maggie, using ground spices will make the brine really murky and the relish unattractive. Ground All Spice is simple allspice berries that are ground. Most well-stocked grocery stores will have them.