It’s summertime and the squash bounty is plentiful. What to do with all the squash?? I have the perfect recipe for you! This is a versatile recipe in which you can interchange cucumber and squash or combine the two. Add a few dill seeds, and you have the best relish you’ve ever tasted.
It’s so beautiful, too!
This is the perfect way to use those larger-than-ideal size squash that seemingly spring up overnight. I simply seed them and add those right in. They work just perfectly for this delicious cucumber-squash relish condiment.
RELISH THE CUCUMBER AND SQUASH
Your ingredient list includes items you likely already have in the pantry if you’re already looking up canning recipes. So, here it is:
- cucumbers
- squash
- noniodized salt
- turmeric
- onions
- sugar
- dill seed
- vinegar
Of course, you’ll need your canning equipment, as well.
Equipment List:
- water bath canning pot
- canning rack(s)
- jar lifter – This one is spring-loaded. Ahh, so smart!
- jars and lids
- large sauce pot
Oh, yeah, don’t forget the towel for cushioning the jars on the countertop!
For those who are new to the canning environment, please note that any large pot will work for as a water bath canner. It isn’t necessary to spend money you don’t have!
When choosing a pot for water bathing, simply choose one that will hold your jars and give space for an inch of water to cover them after loading into the pot. You can see the ones I use here and here. So, as you can see, they vary in size and shape.
You will also need a handy canning funnel. Click here to see this one I loooove because it sits squarely on a flat surface but keeps the bottom of the funnel clear of the surface so it isn’t cross-contaminated with unwanted things that might be scattered about on your work surfaces.
What’s even better? It also has the headspace measurements marked right on the outer lip of the funnel! How nifty is that?! What an ingenious idea!
So, on to the recipe. If you know me at all, you know I’m a rebel cook. I see a recipe and I make it my own. I can’t seem to follow a recipe for the life of me, so I really kind of make things up as I go, according to what I want or need at the time. Obviously, this time, it was a cucumber-squash relish I wanted.
I use relish mainly for a potato salad recipe, but it’s great for other recipes. Of course, it’s good for everyone’s staple, deviled eggs, or egg salad or tuna salad, or even as a topping for green salad. I chose dill since that is our choice over sweet relish.
Let me tell you, this one was out of the park! I will never buy store-bought dill relish again. This recipe is so versatile that I can make a variety of batches and it will meld perfectly with any recipe using dill pickle relish.
I shared with a dear friend who couldn’t even wait until it was completely cooled and ate it by the spoonful! 🙂
YES, it’s that good. So, grab your things and get started. Let’s make some “squickle relish.” Oh, and don’t forget the coffee!
Share your finished product with someone you love and let me know what you think!
Dill Cucumber-Squash (Squickle) Relish
Ingredients
- 4 lbs cucumbers
- 4 lbs squash yellow or zucchini
- ½ c canning salt or non-iodized salt
- 2 t turmeric
- 3 med yellow onions
- ⅓ c granulated sugar
- 2 T dill seed
- 8 c water
- 8 c vinegar
- pickle crisp optional
Instructions
- Rinse cucumbers and squash in cold water and drain well.
- Cut off the stem end and about 1/8 inch of the blossom end from cucumbers and squash.
- Place cucumbers and squash in food processor and chop finely.
- Place chopped cucumbers and squash in a very large bowl and sprinkle with turmeric and all of the salt.
- Pour the water over this, just to cover.
- Cover with foil or plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours.
- Peel the onions and chop finely.
- Drain the cucumbers and squash and rinse under cold water. Drain again.
- Combine cucumbers, squash, onions, sugar, dill seed, and vinegar in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Ladle mixture into warm pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
- If adding pickle crisp, add ⅛ teaspoon to each jar.
- Remove air bubbles.
- Wipe rims with cloth moistened with vinegar.
- Place lid and ring on jar and tighten to fingertip tight.
- As each jar is filled, place hot jars in canner of simmering hot water.
- Lower rack (if using this type of rack) into water and cover canner.
- Bring water to boil and process for 15 minutes for pints or half-pints.
- Turn off heat and remove lid. Allow pot to cool for about 5 minutes then lift jars to towel-covered surface to cool.
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