Corn Relish Recipe
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I had all the ingredients for this growing in my garden, so I decided to try a corn relish recipe I found in my Ball Blue Book. Since this is a pickled item, it can be safely processed in a water bath canner. Remember, usually corn or other vegetables need the pressure canner. This recipe makes approximately 6 pints of corn relish.
Corn Relish Canning Labels
This Page Includes:
Corn Relish Recipe: Extended, Step-By-Step Directions
Gather Canning Supplies:
- water bath canner
- canning jars
- canning seals and rings
- jar lifter
- canning funnel
- large pot
- bowls
- large spoons
- sharp knife
- towels and dish cloths
- ladle
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts cooked corn, cut off the cob. (Blanch the corn 3-5 minutes in boiling water, cut it off the cob, measure and continue with the recipe.)
- 1 quart chopped cabbage
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped sweet green peppers
- 1 cup chopped sweet red peppers
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp. dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp. celery seed
- 1 Tbsp. mustard seed
- 1 Tbsp. canning salt
- 1 Tbsp. turmeric
- 1 quart vinegar
- 1 cup water
How Do You Make Corn Relish from Scratch?
Start by getting the water in your canner heating. Gather all canning supplies.
Chop all veggies and combine in a large pot. I love that this recipe has the actual measurements listed. Often I’ve seen recipes that have 1 small head of cabbage…well, who says what is small????
The original recipe calls for 1 to 2 cups of sugar. Not having made it before, I split the difference and went with 1.5 cups. You can adjust this as you like.
Add the rest of the ingredients, spices, vinegar, and water. Simmer ingredients for 20 minutes.
Pack into pint jars. What I do is fill each jar first with the solid ingredients, then go back and top them off with the liquid, leaving 1/4″ headspace.
This way I don’t get down to the last jar and end up with lots of liquid and not much solids.
Important Tip for Pickled Corn!
Remember to try not to slop it all over like I did in this photo. My counter had pretty yellow blotches all over it.
This is caused by either the dry mustard or the turmeric…whichever one, it doesn’t really matter. All I know is…it doesn’t really add to the look of my kitchen! What do you think? (I’ve done this before…it wears off after a while.)
Carefully wipe the rims clean and add your lids. Leave 1/4-inch headspace. Process in a water bath canner. How to use a water bath canner is found here.
Process your pickled corn relish for the time listed below. Be sure to adjust for your altitude!
Process
Pints – Process for 15 minute, adjusting for altitude according to chart below.
For more information on why this is important, see this altitude adjustments page.
Pinnable Recipe Card
Corn Relish
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 quarts Corn cooked, fresh off the cob is best
- 1 quart Cabbage chopped
- 1 cup Onion(s) chopped
- 2 cups Peppers red or green, chopped
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Celery Seed
- 1 Tablespoon Canning Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Turmeric
- 1 quart Vinegar
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.See full water bath canning instructions here.
Hot Pack only
- Chop all veggies and combine all ingredients in a large pot. Mix well.
- Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Pack into jar, leaving 1/4” headspace.
- Remove air bubbles, wipe rim clean, and place seal and ring. Place jar in the warm canner and proceed to fill all jars. Process according to chart below.
Notes
Adapted from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Corn Relish Recipe for Canning: FAQs & Tips
How Do You Use Corn Relish?
Use corn relish just as a regular relish, on hot dogs, sausages, etc. Mix with salsa as a dip. It’s a good condiment with enchiladas. Mix with black beans and tomatoes for another type of salsa!
Can You Freeze Corn Relish?
Well, it might get kind of mushy, but this would be a good solution to the occasional jar that doesn’t seal properly during canning! 🙂
Using Celery in Corn Relish (& Other Ingredient Adjustments)
Many corn relish recipes I’ve seen include celery. I liked this recipe with cabbage. If you like celery, eliminate the cabbage and substitute 1 cup celery and add one clove of minced or finely chopped garlic.
The total amount of peppers is 2 cups. Red is suggested for at least part of that because of the color factor, but use what you have. You can even use all red if you’d like. If you like spicy, add a little hot pepper in the mix. Just stay in the 2-cup quantity.
Bonus Video: Cutting Corn Off the Cob!
Related Pages
Canning Corn
Canning corn is a great way to preserve the harvest from your own garden or another local grower, plus it’s better than store-bought corn.
Dehydrating Corn
We had so much sweet corn one year, I decided to make my own dried sweet corn out of some of it. I found that just like most things…dehydrating corn is easy.
Freezing Corn
How to freeze corn, on or off the cob. It is an easy and nice alternative for preserving your harvest or farmer’s market haul.
Corn Cob Jelly
Save those cobs, don’t throw them away. Make this!
Pin This to Find Later!
Source: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Page last updated: 6/15/2021
can I reduce that amount of sugar or use sugar substitute (date sugar)?
Mary you can reduce the amount of sugar but do not use a sugar substitute like date sugar. Date sugar could be added when you open the jar to use your relish. Then you’ll be storing it in the refrigerator.
can I use purchased frozen corn in this recipe?
Yes, it is safe. However, I’m not sure about the texture – it might get somewhat mushy. Hope this helps!
-Rachel (Sharon’s assistant)
Is it white or brown vinegar?
It could be either, as long as it’s 5% acidity. I’m checking with Sharon to see what she used. 🙂
-Rachel (Sharon’s assistant)
Hi, Brenda! Sharon says the original recipe called for white vinegar, but she doesn’t remember if she used white or apple cider herself. It’s perfectly acceptable to substitute, and she often does. There may be a small change in flavor, but she’s never noticed it much.
-Rachel (Sharon’s assistant)
I wish this recipe would give an estimate of quantity so that I know how many canning jars to prep. I am going to estimate 6 pint jars but I would be way off.
Leaving out the number of jars needed, even a ballpark estimate, seems to me akin to omitting one of the most critical ingredients of a canning recipe. Having to prep more jars at the end is a pain.
The recipe itself looks great and will try soon.
Hi, Tom! 6 pints is listed in the recipe card on this page as the yield, so you should be spot on. 🙂 Happy canning!
-Rachel (Sharon’s assistant)
I’m trying my hardest to find a pickled corn relish that uses celery, corn, cucumbers and onions. My husband does not like peppers so can I leave out peppers in any recipe? Can you help me make a recipe with these ingredients. Thank you.
This recipe has corn and onions so you are good there. You can substitute celery instead of the cabbage just eliminate the cabbage and add 1 cup chopped celery. Cucumbers, however, are not included in the original tested recipe so I can’t suggest adding it. As far as leaving out the peppers, darn but I can’t recommend that either. Part of what makes a recipe safe is the ratio of ingredients and the acidic levels created. I did a quick search to see if I could find a recipe with cucumbers and no peppers but didn’t find anything suitable for… Read more »