Sweet Onion Relish

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Jogeephus

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Friend dropped this nice bag of Vidalia onions by the office so I thought I'd makes some onion relish.



We eat a lot of relish and I've been tweaking recipes for some time now trying to find the perfect blend of flavor. To me, this hits perfection pretty close. Am glad too because I've made a little over 3 gallons so we will be eating it for a while.



Canned and ready for another day.



Joe's Vidalia Onion Relish - 2014

Ingredients

3.3 lbs of Sweet Peppers of various colors - 2 quarts chopped
19.9 lbs of Vidalia Onions - 10 quarts chopped
2 heads of cabbage 5.25 lbs - 5 quarts chopped
1.5 cups of canning salt

Chop onions, cabbage and peppers and mix together and mix in 1.5 cups salt stir and allow to sit for an hour in a colander to drain.


Sauce
2 cups light brown sugar
8 cup apple cider vinegar
4 TBS mustard powder
1 TBS turmeric
4 TBS mustard seed black and white 50/50
2 TBS celery seed
2 Cups water
1 cup all-purpose flower to thicken

Process

Bring sauce to boil stirring regular to keep from sticking. Boil for about 5 minutes then add onions, peppers and cabbage.

Boil for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.

Ladle into sterilized jars leaving a quarter inch of headspace. Process in water bath for 15 minutes.
 
Some of that relish on a bun with your smoked sausage would hit the spot. I thought it looked kind of looked like corn relish to me.
 
Gave it the ultimate test tonight for supper. Even used the fine china. Everyone liked it. Has a good balance between the salt, vinegar, mustard, onion and sugar.

 
Jo,
I'd tho in a jalapeno and call that alright.

I took a bike ride thru Vidalia one time at the right time. I could smell onions for miles.
 
Into my recipe file! Wow that looks great and your test drive on the hot dogs sent it home! I will try. Thanks for posting it.
 
HDRider":391d21ge said:
Jo,
I'd tho in a jalapeno and call that alright.

I took a bike ride thru Vidalia one time at the right time. I could smell onions for miles.

You make a good point. The only thing missing is a little heat and some jalapenos added to the mix would add some extra color too. Definitely a tweak for next year's batch.
 
Jo,
Let us all know how that heated version turns out.

I guess this is a hijack, but it just seems so appropriate, and what's a discussion without a little controversy thrown in. And no one is going to argue, your Vidalia relish looks wonderful.


What do you guys think about this kind of thing? I expect most will bristle at state intrusion, but consider the success the French have had with some exceptional farm products. There is a lot to be said for cooperating for mutual benefit and success.

New Article -
Delbert Bland, Georgia's most prolific Vidalia producer, filed suit against the state's agriculture commissioner Gary Black this fall after the commissioner pushed back the starting date at which Vidalia farmers can harvest, pack and ship their onions to market. Bland, though, is in a rush. He doesn't see the point in waiting, and come April, wants to get his onions to market as soon as possible.

Farmers must register with the state if they plan to grow under the Vidalia umbrella, and must keep the ag commissioner aware of what varieties are being grown.

The Vidalia Onion Act gives Black this power. The Georgia Department of Agriculture owns the brand, so Black can do whatever he sees fit to protect it. And the majority of growers are behind him.

When poor quality onions began showing up on grocery store shelves following the usual April 15 start date, Black decided to act. He was asked to by onion growers who knew the year's harvest had been rough. A wacky spate of weather early in 2013 meant Vidalias weren't as mature as they should've been come April. After a decade-plus-long drought, the state, and its onions, spent the early part of the year submerged. So after April 15, moist and soft onions – shelf unstable, not as ripe as expected – began making their way into consumer hands.


http://modernfarmer.com/2013/12/vidalia-onion-drama/
 
That's no sweet onion relish....it's piccalilli without the cauliflower :lol: , looks good Jo. I have spans of onions hanging up so will definitely try it, would also like to make a bit of onion chutney but must find a good recipe.
 
HDRider":3gxiji41 said:
What do you guys think about this kind of thing? I expect most will bristle at state intrusion, but consider the success the French have had with some exceptional farm products. There is a lot to be said for cooperating for mutual benefit and success.

HDRider, I thought you knew me better than that. You know your country is screwed when you look to the French for examples on how to do things.

Man did you open up a can of worms here. ;-)

Do I believe in monopolies? No.
Do I believe its the government's job to protect a brand? Yes, but only in civil court.

I can grow Vidalia onions in my garden but legally I cannot call them that. Old man up the road used to grow them and sell them at his house. When the Dept of Ag got through with him he doesn't do it any more. Was he hurting anyone? I can't see where he was. Were they sweet? Yes. Are they the same - I couldn't tell them apart but a purist would say they don't taste the same. Supposedly there is something in the soil that makes them sweeter in that area but I don't know if they are any sweeter than Gleenville Sweets which is another sweet onion grown right up the road from Vidalia.

Since the name of Vidalia is a brand I don't think it right to steal someone's brand but I don't see it as the government's job to act as owner or enforcer of the brand but it is what it is and how I see it; since Delbert Bland chose to drink the Kool Aid and reap the benefits of the brand he is also obligated to pi$$ red when things aren't so good. People forget that the government does something for you it also controls you. In this case he gave up his freedom when he joined the monopoly. You can't have it both ways. JMO
 
alisonb":2ugp1uci said:
That's no sweet onion relish....it's piccalilli without the cauliflower :lol: , looks good Jo. I have spans of onions hanging up so will definitely try it, would also like to make a bit of onion chutney but must find a good recipe.

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: I was thinking about you and your piccalilli when I made this. :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Its funny how we have such similar foods but under different names in the same language.
 
Ok, so I'm making this right now. I halved the recipe. I got one question






How big are your pots that you did 20 lbs of onions!!!????
My wife's gonna kill me when she sees how many pots I've dirtied.
 
Hook":1tmsih98 said:
Ok, so I'm making this right now. I halved the recipe. I got one question






How big are your pots that you did 20 lbs of onions!!!????
My wife's gonna kill me when she sees how many pots I've dirtied.

If your gonna be a house husband your gonna have to learn to do dishes! :lol:
 
Hook":2w4pc87l said:
Ok, so I'm making this right now. I halved the recipe. I got one question






How big are your pots that you did 20 lbs of onions!!!????
My wife's gonna kill me when she sees how many pots I've dirtied.

20 lbs of onions only works out to about 2.5 gallons but to make the whole recipe you need something like a 5 gallon pot. A canning pot will work but a turkey frying pot is better because it has a smooth bottom and is easier to stir.
 

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