My very first experience making sweet pickle relish turned out to be so easy and delicious, that I have to wonder why I never made it before. After researching a few recipes in my old cookbooks and online, I decided to try a basic relish. If you've never made it, here's a quick rundown, proving how simple it is. First, gather about 4 lbs. of large pickling cucumbers, plus two green and one red bell peppers, and a sweet onion. (Peels are left on cucumbers; core peppers, and peel onion--do a rough chop.) Add all to food processor and pulse-chop fine--but be careful not to turn it into "mush". I did this in two batches. Pour vegetable mixture into a large stainless steel bowl with 1/2 cup of kosher pickling salt ( I use Diamond brand) and cover with boiling water. Let mixture soak for 1 to 2 hours. Later, in a large stainless steel soup pot I added: 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, 5 cups of raw organic sugar, 1 tsp. mustard seeds, 1 T. of
cornstarch, and 1 tsp. tumeric for that lovely golden color. This is simmered and stirred until the sugar dissolves completely. Drain cucumber mixture, rinse once and drain again. Add it to the pot and bring back to a boil. Cook down for about an hour. Wash and sterilize six 1/2-pint jars during that time. I just used ordinary jam jars for this in order to process the relish for long-term storage. (Processing time varies according to your altitude--check with your local food extension service for canning specifics.) Small batches will keep just fine in the fridge for several weeks without processing though.
That's it! But I didn't stop there. . .
After the success with the sweet relish, and the discovery of many more dainty cucumbers hanging on the vines--I went on to make 'Bread & Butter' pickles the next day. This was basically the same simple process, with a twist. The sliced cucumbers and onions soak in an icy salt-water bath for 
two hours, instead of a hot one. A sweet and spicy brine is heated up, made with vinegar, sugar, tumeric, mustard seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, celery seeds, whole allspice berries, whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick. After soaking, the cucumbers and onions are drained, rinsed, and added to the pot. The mixture is brought back to a boil; then hot sterilized jars are packed with a slotted spoon, and the spicy syrup is poured over the top. Jars are sealed and processed as usual, or may be stored in the fridge for up to a few weeks without processing.
