Corn relish has never really been on my radar. I’ve always been of the mind that if I was going to make a corn condiment, I’d make corn salsa and call it done. But this year, I kept seeing relish recipes and the idea of making one started to make sense. Then, when I came home with two dozen ears of corn, it became an inevitability.
I used Ball’s recipe on freshpreserving.com as a starting point, and made just a few (safe!) tweaks to bring it in line with my personal preferences.
I’m really pleased with the result. It’s tangy, sweet, and tastes gorgeously of summer. While I love my corn salsa and will continue to make multiple batches each summer, I think I’ve got a second must-make corn condiment on my personal list.
Corn Relish with Turmeric
Ingredients
- 6 cups uncooked corn kernels
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 4 pint jars.
- In a large pot, combine the corn, vinegar, onion, red bell pepper, sugar, mustard, coriander, turmeric, salt, chili flakes, and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes, to ensure things are piping hot and heated evenly.
- Funnel the relish into the prepared jars, taking care to ensure that you have an even balance of solids and liquid.
- Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
- When the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid from the pot, and let the jars cool slowly in the water. After five minutes of slow cooling, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
- When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
I love to can but I don’t want to try recipes that are not tested by Ball or the UGA. Do you use tested recipes? When you say tweak does that mean it’s not a tested recipe. I would love to use some of your recipes but I want to use the USDA recipes.
Angie, if you look at the Ball recipe I used as a starting place, you’ll see that I maintained the ratio of vegetable matter to acid, which is the most important part of a recipe like this. What’s more, this is essentially a pickle. You’ve got eight cups of veg in two cups of straight vinegar. However, if you’re concerned, just use the recipe on freshpreserving.com.
We eat this both straight-up as a relish, and as a slaw-type salad by mixing it with cabbage diced in corn-sized bits. Mix 50/50 or even 1:3 (corn:cabbage) and let it marinate for a bit before serving. It’s even better the next day!
Awesome recommendation for how to use this relish! Thanks!
Looks great! Pints are kind of large. If I wanted to do eight 8-oz jars instead would I still process for 15 minutes?
Thanks — I love your recipes and am a BIG fan!
It’s fine to do it in half pints. Processing time remains the same.
As for fresh pickled corn – we love it on avocado toast!
I am so excited!! I have been looking for a recipe to capture the delicious fresh corn we get here in a relish and here is the recipe! I think this is going to taste delish on salmon. Thanks for the timing on using half pints as they are my go-to size given we are a household of two. thanks!
Great sounding recipe! Why do you let the jars stay in the hot bath for 5 extra minutes? It would be great if you explained differences like this in your posts.
Rose, you let the jars sit in the canner for an extra five minutes to prevent siphoning and improve the chances of developing a good seal. I do try to include explanatory language in my posts, but I’m just one person and so don’t always do it perfectly.
I’ve been making the ball recipe for years – my friends call this Crack Corn! Our favorite way to serve this is as a dip:
1 8oz brick of cream cheese (Vegan or Regular), Softened
1/2 pint of Corn Relish
using an electric mixer (or stand mixer) – beat the cream cheese until smooth, add the corn relish and mix well. Scrape into your serving dish, cover, and chill at least 2 hours to “set” the cream cheese.
Serve with: Fritos Scoops or thick cut tortilla chips. 🙂
How much headspace?
If a recipe doesn’t say, leave 1/2 inch.
Can you safely reduce or omit the sugar? Is it just the vinegar that is the preservative here? Thank you!
Yes, the sugar is just for flavor in this case.
Great recipe. Mix it with cabbage as suggested. Will have to try it as dip with the cream cheese.