I love Harry & David’s Onion Pepper Relish mixed with cream cheese. It makes the most delicious and quick dip. I thought a little homemade jar of this would make a yummy gift that would be handy for friends to have on hand for holiday entertaining.
Onion and Pepper Relish
5 – 14.5 oz. cans chopped tomatoes (drained)
6 bell peppers (seeds and ribs removed) (I used two each of red, yellow and green)
6 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons salt
1 – 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1 1/2 tsp)
6 jalapeno peppers with seeds and ribs removed (a spoon does this easily)
3 medium onions
2 cups white vinegar
2 small boxes powered pectin (1.75 oz)
First chop all vegetables. It goes together very easily once all the chopping is done. To make this quicker I used a food processor.
Mix everything together, except the pectin, in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour. Add in the pectin and boil for 1 minute.
Pour relish into hot sterilized half pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch head room. I needed 13 half pint jars.
Place lids and rings on jars. Process jars by placing them in a large pot of water. Water level should be an inch over jars. Boil for 15 minutes. Carefully remove jars from water and allow to cool. You know jars are sealed when there is no give in the lid.
I plan to attach a tag to mine that says, “For an easy dip, mix jar contents with 2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese and serve with corn chip scoopers.”
Enjoy!
If you are looking for more ideas on handmade gift giving, take a moment to browse through the Handmade Gift Guide.
Question regarding recipe: I don’t think I simmered this batch correctly…. I COVERED the pot to simmer for an hour and ended up with 20 1/2 pints!!!! Should I simmer UNCOVERED? Hope this turns out OK!! I’ll let you know.
I LOVE tomato pepper relish! We, in the South, use it with Pinto beans, and cornbread! YUM!
Ooooo! This looks so tasty and easy too! I have a ton of leftover 1/2 pint jars from making jam and now I have something to fill them with! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
~Clarissa @ A Little Stone House
I have never canned anything in my life but this recipe looks delicious. I am a big fan of H&D relish and cannot wait to try this. My question is…how long will this stay good for? If I make for gifts will it last for a couple of weeks or does it need to be gifted and eaten right away? Thanks so much!!
Also great with eggs or mixed with tuna instead of mayo for a sandwhich.
I made this last Friday!! It was so easy!! I didnt chop the peppers and onions as small as pictured….I made 16 8oz jars….and it is really good….I ate it with tortilla chips, and cream cheese!!
thanks so much…def a keeper!
change the above to 17 1/2 pts. 8oz jelly jar
Made this today and believe it is as close or better that H & D’s. I figured it cost me .80 for an 8oz jar compared to 5.50 for an 11 oz jar of Harry and Davids. About 10 cents an ounce compared to .55 for the other stuff. I got 17 pints.
To Lisa: I don’t think that little bit difference in pectin will make a difference. May be a little thicker but that shouldn’t matter.
Our pectin in the store all came in 2 oz packages. Will that make a difference? Should I take out a small amount since it will be over .5 oz? First time canner, not sure. thanks
Has anyone tried making it with fresh tomatoes instead on canned? I have lots of tomatoes still in the garden and already made tons of salsa and spaghetti sauce. Just wondering how many cups of tomatoes I would need and if it would work.
thank you so much i will be making this as a gift also i will put a card with the recipe.
I tried your recipe. I LOVE it. I’m blogging about your recipe tomorrow. Many thanks for sharing such good pictures.
This sounds really good but I’m just wondering how hot is this. Sounds like some potent stuff with the extra Jalapenos. What number would it be from 1 to 10?
HI
Thank you, it looks delicious, can’t wait to try it
I have just featured this recipe on my blog at http://thatcutelittlecake.blogspot.com/2010/08/christmas-in-july-find-foodie-gifts.html and linked back to your blog
Thanks
Well all we can say to you is. “BRAVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The recipe for Harry and David’s Pepper/Tomato Relish from your site is a dead ringer. We tried a half batch just to make sure before we went with full recipe ingredients. Filled 6 pints, and pressure canned them to 15 pounds because it’s so much faster and safe/certain with peppers and tomatoes than the water bath method. Be sure and let it cool in the fridge because the flavors do develop over time. At $7.00 a half pint retail, these are delicious results.