Cucumber Relish

I only made this because someone had given me a bucket of old-ish cucumbers and they looked too ugly to do anything else with them. Well, that and the fact that I am always looking for an opportunity to avoid anything containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and summer dinner condiments are filled with HFCS: relish, ketchup, mustard, etc. So I made this, expecting a ho-hum result mostly because of the state of the cucumbers, but was quite impressed to find that it was a seriously good relish. So good I now have 12 cucumber plants in the garden so I can make more of this stuff...

7 c prepared cucumbers (peeled and chopped)

4 c chopped green peppers

4 c chopped red peppers

2 c chopped celery

1 c chopped onion

1/2 c pickling salt

2 & 1/4 c sugar

3 c white vinegar

4 Tbsp each: celery seeds and mustard seeds

Combine cucumbers, peppers, celery, onions and pickling salt in a large glass or stainless bowl. Cover and leave 4 hours. Rinse vegetables well. Press out excess moisture. Combine sugar, vinegar, and spices in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables and bring back to boil, then boil for 10 minutes.

Can as per usual. Makes 7 pints.