Tomato and Pepper Relish

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 6 pint jars (or 12 half-pint jars), bands, and new lids in hot soapy water and keep the jars hot until ready to fill.
2. 2Simmer the new lids in hot water per the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Wash the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, cool in ice water, slip off the skins, cut out the cores, and finely chop the tomatoes, peppers, and onion.
4. 4Combine the chopped tomatoes, peppers, and onion with the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, and celery seed in a large pot, keeping the peppers and onion at or below the amounts listed here.
5. 5Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes until thickened and most of the liquid has cooked down.
6. 6Add the required bottled lemon juice or citric acid directly to each hot, empty jar before filling, in addition to the vinegar already in the relish: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per half-pint or pint jar.
7. 7Ladle the hot relish into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
8. 8Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic tool, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
9. 9Process in a boiling-water canner, jars covered by 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil: 15 minutes for half-pints and pints at 0-1,000 ft, adding 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes at 6,001-8,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 8,000 ft.
10. 10Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then move the jars with a jar lifter to a towel-lined counter and let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
11. 11Press each lid to confirm sealing, label with contents, acid added, and date, and refrigerate any jar that did not seal.
12. 12Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to about 1 year; refrigerate after opening and use within about a week.
13. 13Keep the peppers and onion within the amounts specified and still add the full bottled lemon juice or citric acid to every jar, since this relish is dense with low-acid vegetables and depends on both the vinegar and the added acid for safety.