This year we have two jalapeno plants doing very well. Too well, in fact. And big bunches of jalapenos aren’t something you can just easily pass on to the neighbors, co-workers, etc. Who needs more than one or two at a time?

Fortunately I came across a recipe for Sweet Jalapeno Relish. After some tweaking, the final reciepe looked like this:

• 1 quart jalapenos
• 1 pint tomatillos
• 1 quart pickling cukes
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons salt
• 5 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 cups cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons pickling spice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Chop the jalapenos, tomatillos cucumbers and onion in a food-processor. Mix together with the 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of salt in a large glass or ceramic bowl; cover with cold water and let stand for 2 hours. Drain thoroughly, pressing on the vegetable to remove excess liquid. Combine the sugar and vinegar in a large pot; tie the pickling spices in cheesecloth and add to the liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables along with the cilantro and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove spice bag. Pack into hot jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. This produced four, regular sized (12 oz?) jars of relish.

I’ll update with how the canned relish turned out in a few days, but the pre-packed result was very, very good. Hot and sweet. Hopefully perfect for adding to tuna salad or slathering on a burger or hot dog.