Cucumber Relish

Cucumber Relish

6 medium-sized cucumbers peeled and sliced
4 onions halved and sliced

Put in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a tea towel and allow to stand for 2 hours. Drain the liquid out in a colander and wash the salt out with cold water.

Put well washed bottles into oven at 100C to heat. Pour boiling water into the lids.

½ teaspoon ginger
500 grams brown sugar
1 ¼ cups white vinegar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Boil for 8 minutes. Fill the hot jars with the cucumber and onion mixture using a slotted spoon. When full pour in the liquid to overflowing, seal with the lids. Wash the bottles off with hot water.

This quantity made up one very large jar and one jam jar. It would probably make 3 normal size jam jars.

I had a spoonful left over which tasted yummy, but I think it needs to be allowed to stand for at least a month to let the flavours mature.

Roz sent me the following recipe which I was keen to try, but as I was unable to get mustard seed after a search of 5 different shops, I opted for the above which is quite similar.

Cucumber pickle

3-4 large cucumbers
3 large onions
50g salt
550ml vinegar
500g brown sugar
1/2 level teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
1/4 level teaspoon ground cloves (clous de girofle)
1 tablespoon mustard seed (black is nicest)


Slice (peeled) cucumbers and onions. Layer them with salt in colander over a bowl. Leave for 3 hrs.
Put vinegar, sugar and spices in large saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolved. Add cucumber and onion to pot. bring to boil and simmer uncovered for just one minute.
Remove pan from heat. Use draining spoon to lift cucumbers etc out and into jars. Boil the spiced vinegar, again uncovered for about 15 minutes until it has reduced to about half.
Pour mixture into jars to cover contents. (Save any let over to top up of for another batch) seal immediately and store for a month before serving.


Fills about 1 1/2 litres.


Just as I finished this post, the owner of the 'Natural is Best' / "C'est la Nature qui a raison"  shop in Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure, phoned me to say she had ordered mustard seed for me and it would arrive on Tuesday. She is so good about ordering  unstocked items for people!  So, I will try the second recipe next week when I pick the next batch of cucumbers.