100 Posts and Project #3: Relish (complete with recipe)

Yay, Finally I hit the 100 post mark. Congratulations me. The 100th post feels no different to the 99th post or I suppose the 101st- just like having another birthday really.

I thought about doing something to mark the momentous occasion but instead I think I will just get to work on my 16 (yes yikes 16) little gifts for the Melbourne blog meet up. I'm totally intimidated by the whole thing - well no actually I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone, but I'm totally freakin about crafting for all these crafty super stars. Onto less intimdating things...

Project # 3: Sadie's Tomato Relish
(I'm including my baking/cooking in the project count - I think it counts as part of the miscellaneous part of my craft related adventures)


This relish is the old school kind. You should make it, it's easy and yum. And for all you jar sterilising chickens - you know who you are (and so do I cause you commented about your fears on my lemon butter post!) - dive in and have a go, it's that easy.

4 pounds tomatoes (1.8kg) (yep that's how old skool it is the recipe has imperial measurements, but I've got rough conversions).

Skin and dice the tomatoes - to skin make a cross with a knife through the skin on the base of each tomato and soak in boiling water for 3 mins - the skins come off easy then.

2 pounds (900gms) brown onions. Slice 'em thin (works extra good if you use your newly very sharp knife sharpened with your Furi diamond fingers knife sharpening set you got for christmas)


Mix the chopped tomatoes and sliced onions with a handful of salt (approx 30gms). Leave to stand overnight.

Drain the juices off the tomato and onion mix and squeeze to get all the excess out.

Add 1.5 pounds of white sugar (700gm) and 1 pint (450 ml) of malt vinegar to the tomato and onion mix.


Bring to the boil and boil for about 5 minutes or until soft.


If you want a chunkier tomato relish, just boil for 5 mins. If you want a mushier one, boil for a bit longer. At this point I also added 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced (but Grandma doesn't do that in hers)

While that's boiling, in a separate bowl whisk together 2 tblsp plain flour, 1 Tblsp of curry powder, 1 Tblsp mustard powder and 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper with 1/2 pint of malt vinegar.


Add to the tomato mix and stir in well. Cook 30 - 40 minutes till it thickens. Keep stirring it every now and then (maybe after 2 or 4 rows of knitting) to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.

While it's boiling, steralise your jars. Preheat the oven to 110 deg C. Put your clean jars:


into a big saucepan along with the metal lids for the jars. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 mins. Now put the lids and upside down jars on a baking tray lined with a teatowel and put them in the oven till their dry. (I also sometimes just bung the wet jars straight on the racks in the oven..I spose that's the lazy way?). I also had a cheats way that I used when I first conquered my jar sterlising fear last year. But really how much simpler can you get than boiling and putting in the oven - you don't even have to wash the pot up - it's just boiling water and glass afterall.

Now put the hot relish into hot jars. That's it, that's all. Yum yum. Great on sandwhiches and with corn fritters. Thanks for sharing the recipe Grandma, hope you don't mind me sharing it here?

Now if you've got this far through this post (congrats to you and thanks for indulging me) and you'd like to have a little taste test, I have a spare jar which I will send to you through the post (only in Australia though - cost me a small fortune in postage otherwise). Leave a comment and make your claim. I did a chilli jam for pesto swap last year with Bel and it works fine sending jars through Aus Post.

Actually Bel if you're reading this - I still owe you for the Amy Butler pattern, so look out in your letter box for a jar of the relish!