A delicately sweet pickle relish is a delightful accompaniment to your grass-fed burgers and roasts. During the summer garden harvest, I like to make it fresh, but what to do in the winter when organic cucumbers are impossible to find? Here is a delicious and simple recipe for home-prepared and canned relish that your family can enjoy year round!
The cucumbers, onions and peppers need to be finely chopped. Although this can be done by hand, it is tedious and I would suggest you use a hand cranked “food chopper” or attachment for a Kitchenaide mixer, or, if you are very careful, it may be done in an electric food processor. If using the latter, cut your vegetables into small pieces first, and then process them with a metal blade in the food processor. Do each vegetable separately, and in short pulse bursts until the vegetables are finely chopped. You do not want to turn them to mush!
Chop, grind or process the cucumbers, onions and peppers.
In a heavy-bottomed stainless saucepan, 5 to 6 quarts in size, combine the vegetables, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, cloves, turmeric, vinegar and honey.
Quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and then simmer for approximately 3 hours, until the relish has been reduced to about 5 pints. Stirring occasionally.
Prepare 5 pint - sized canning jars, lids and rings. (Please refer to a reliable source of canning instructions for a more detailed description of these steps. I recommend the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.
Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.
Of course we love and enjoy our fresh and live vegetable ferments, and yet it is also very nice to have home-canned relish, as we can prepare it with organically grown ingredients and preserve it in glass jars. This avoids the preservatives always added to commercial products. This relish also makes a welcome gift!
A classic Thanksgiving condiment that is great any time of the year. Stock up on cranberries and freeze them so you can make this, even when they’re not in season. Tastes delicious with any meal, or as a quick afternoon snack.
In a large food processor, add the orange and cranberries and pulse until very rough chopped. Add the nuts, ginger, honey, and lime juice and continue to pulse until combined, but still slightly chunky. This will keep in the fridge for several days and tastes better the day after you make it.
Warm fried apples are a wonderful comfort food. Serve drizzled with raw cream; as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or crepes; or as an accompaniment to roasted poultry.
Peel, core and slice apples.
In a cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add sliced apples. Cover. Turn to medium-high heat until apples and butter start to sizzle, then return to medium heat.
Cook till apples are soft, stirring occasionally-about 10 minutes.
Remove lid and turn heat to medium.
Stir occasionally. Cook till apples begin to caramelize-about 8 minutes.
Cook 1 to 5 minutes more, stirring continuously, till desired caramelization achieved.
This goes together in a snap and doesn’t even require cooking. Just cranberries, an orange, good quality honey and a food processor and you are set!
In a medium sized food processor bowl, combine ingredients and process until desired consistency. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more honey if needed, but maintain refreshing tartness.
Chill and serve.
Leftover relish lasts about a week in the fridge, and is great on its own, on gluten-free muffins or bread, or stirred into raw, organic, grass-fed yogurt!
This recipe is GAPS legal, raw, vegetarian friendly and all around delicious!
A really quick and easy side dish to serve at your Thanksgiving meal.
In a small pot, place cranberries, rapadura, water.
Zest orange, using a citrus zester or microplane and add to cranberry mixture.
Juice the orange into the cranberry mixture.
On medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook until cranberries start to pop (about 5-10 minutes)
Pour into bowl, or a mold and chill until completely cool.
This lacto-fermented apple chutney is sweet, spicy, slightly tangy and a perfect compliment to raw cheddar, kefir, yogurt, poultry and more. It’s hard not to eat a whole bowl full of this stuff! Think of all the awesome probiotics you will get eating this lacto-fermented chutney.
Combine the water, lemon juice, salt and whey. Mix the combined liquids with the other ingredients and pack firmly into 2 - quart sized jars or 1 - half-gallon jar, leaving at least 1 inch of headspace at the top. The liquid should come to the top of the fruit. Add a little more water if necessary. (I usually layer apples, cranberries and pecans together in my food processor and let it do all the work.)
Cover and leave at room temperature for 48 hours (alternately, use a lacto-fermentation device that has an airlock system, such as those offered by Cultures for Health. You should see trapped bubbles around the sides, which is a sign of active fermentation.
Refrigerate and leave in the fridge another week before eating. Will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator. Be sure to always use a clean utensil when dipping out of the jar and re-pack the fruit each time.
Tip: Use this lacto-fermented cranberry apple chutney as a “dressing” on top of shredded cabbage for a probiotic rich salad.