Phew! Finally done with the relish! Ended up with 25 half pints. Had to modify the recipe too. The brine was so outrageously sour I couldn’t believe it, and ended up having to add a ton of sugar to tone it down. Well, not a ton, but you know.

Really like that big Presto 23 qt canner. Did all 25 half pints in 2 batches and got done a lot faster than I thought I would.

Can’t wait to try this stuff. This isn’t exactly the same recipe I used ages ago, but it’s pretty darn close.

Man, got to get some shelves, though! They’re full now. Still have quarts and pints of tomatoes from last year down there. And judging from the way that pear tree looks, I’m going to have more pears than I know what to do with. Plus we’re getting tomatoes from Donna’s sister… 

Now it’s pizza time!

Another way to deal with all those extra radishes before they get hard and woody…

2 pounds radishes, tops and roots removed

2 1/2 cups water

2 T. kosher salt 

1 1/2 cup water1 1/4 white vinegar

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 T. mixed peppercorns

Cut each radish into halves or quarters. In a large stainless steel or glass bowl combine 2 1/2 cups water and the kosher salt. Add radishes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. 

Drain and rinse radishes, set aside. In a medium saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups water, white vinegar, honey,red wine vinegar, and peppercorns. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Pack radishes into hot, sterilized half pint jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Ladle hot vinegar mixture into jars, being sure to get some peppercorns into each jar and maintaining the 1/4 inch headspace. Discard any remaining vinegar mixture. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 mintues. Makes 6 half pints.

Note: haven’t tried this one myself but it looks pretty good

Ok, so you got radishes coming out of your ears by late May. What the heck do you do with ‘em? Far too many to eat, your neighbors are probably trying to give theirs away too. Rather than tossing them into the compost pile, try pickling. Here’s a quick, easy way to do it.

2 lbs red radishes, tops and roots removed, scrubbed clean

1/4 C plus 1/4 tsp pure kosher salt

1 1/2 C distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

Cut radishes into thin slices with a mandolin and place in a sealable container. Combine 1/4 cup salt with 2 1/2 cups water and pour over radishes. Let them sit for a few hours in the refrigerator until ready for use. When ready to use the radishes, place in a colander, drain, and rinse.

Combine vinegar, 1 1/2 cup of water, sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and all of your spices in a non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, and make sure that all of your sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the radishes, and bring to a boil once more. Remove from heat and loosely pack into hot jars.

If preserving, process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.