Hamburger Relish

 

 How do you like your burger? Just cheese? No cheese? Lots of fixins? Or just plain?

When you think of it, there's literally no limit to the way you could fix a burger, but for some reason, we always go back to our tried and true favorites. For me, I'm a fan of lots of cheese, ketchup, and some sweet pickle relish. Occasionally, I'll add a slice of tomato and some lettuce, but that's about it.  

 So when I saw this recipe for hamburger relish, I was all over it. I make TONS of different relishes, so this one needed to be included on my wall 'o jars. It's my version of a recipe I found on a website called Shifting Roots, and it's exactly what you want in a hamburger relish. It's kind of like adding ketchup to regular pickle relish, but it's SO much more. It's light and fresh and definitely worth the effort. Perfect for burgers ! (It's great on hot dogs too!) Especially if you like ketchup and relish. 

 Are you a burger person? if so, you need to make this! So good! 

 

4 cups finely chopped cucumbers (unpeeled)

2 cups finely chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, and/or green)

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes

2 cups sugar 

3 cups white vinegar

1 tbs yellow mustard seeds

1 tbs turmeric

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs allspice

1 tbs ground cloves

 

 Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.  Let it continue to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Be sure to stir from the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn. Let it cook down until you reach your desired consistency. Serve on burgers, hot dogs, or meatloaf.

 

For canning:

Always remember- hot jars, hot filling, hot water.

Fill your jars, leave a half inch head space, wipe rims, place your two piece lids, then process in a water bath for 15 minutes. 

 

Tips:

Most pickle and relish recipes start by salting your chopped vegetables and letting them sit for 8 hours or overnight. Then you rinse and drain them and continue with your recipe. This extracts a lot of excess water from the veggies making them more crisp, which is definitely what you want in a dill or sweet pickle. I decided to skip that entire step. Call me a rebel, but I just didn't see the point of it, since I would be cooking it down anyway. 

This makes a big batch, which is great for canning, but go ahead and cut this recipe in half if you don't need to as much.