Spicy Relish and Other Pickles

Nothing better than making your own pickles out of whatever it is you have lying around. I first made this spicy relish to recreate a rather expensive store brand I tried and loved. It was so easy to accomplish I couldn't believe it. These are relatively quick pickles. Once you jar it they'll be ready in three to five days and will get better the longer you let them rest in the refrigerator. I suppose you could also hot water bath can these.

Use the general ratio of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar to scale the recipe up or down.

The amount of herbs and spices will depend on your tastes. Below is an approximation of what I used.

1 English cucumber

1 Tb red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves

1 Tb of dried dill

I had some onions and jalapenos sitting around and threw them into their own jar with the left over cucumber and brine.

1. Make your brine by mixing the vinegar and water and adding the salt. Heat it up on the stove to a simmer to dissolve the salt.
2. Shred your cucumber.
3. Crush your garlic.
4. Fill up a jar with it all.
5. Top it up with the brine up to 1/4" from the top of the jar.
6. Screw on a lid and let it cool.
7. Once cool put it into the fridge for 3 days to the end of time.

The longer you can hold off the more the pickle will pickle and blend and turn into the perfect condiment. Have it on hot dogs and hamburgers or put it on top of some hummus on your favorite cracker or pita. Use it in tarter sauce or tuna salad or whatever the heck you think you want to do with it.