Garden Special

This is an end-of-summer canning project. When the garden is overflowing with green tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and more produce than you can eat fresh, you make Garden Special.

It’s a massive batch. Two quarts each of cabbage, onions, green tomatoes, and cucumbers, plus lima beans, green beans, corn, carrots, celery, and a dozen green bell peppers. Each vegetable gets cooked separately until tender, then everything comes together in a gallon of vinegar sweetened with two pounds of brown sugar. Celery seed and mustard seed round out the brine.

Cooking the vegetables separately matters. Each one has a different cooking time, and dumping them all in together means some are mush while others are still crunchy. Once combined in the sweet vinegar, bring it all to a boil and it’s ready for canning or immediate use.

Pro Tips

• Cook denser vegetables like limas, carrots, and green beans longer than quick-cooking ones like cabbage and corn
• Use a large stockpot for combining everything. This recipe makes a serious quantity
• The relish will taste sharply vinegary at first but mellows significantly after a few days in the jar
• Process in sterilized jars with proper canning technique for long-term storage

Variations

• Add cauliflower florets for extra crunch and variety
• Use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar for a rounder, less sharp flavor
• Stir in a teaspoon of turmeric for golden color and earthy warmth