Artichoke Relish

This is my second canning experiment with Jerusalem artichokes. Word on the Internet (no one talks on the street any more) is that Jerusalem artichoke relish is a Southern delicacy. I've tried a number of Southern delicacies like grits, greens, cornbread and fried dandelion greens thanks to my mother's Southern roots. But even she hadn't heard of artichoke relish. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not. (I'll let you know once we crack open the first jar.)

Update: We opened the first jar of relish at Christmas due to no mustard in the house for the ham. The overwhelming verdict was the relish tastes great with ham.

Jerusalem Artichoke Relish
5 quarts Jerusalem artichokes, chopped
2 cups non-iodized salt
3 lbs. green cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. onions, chopped
6 large red and green bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 (24-oz.) jar prepared mustard
2 quarts apple cider vinegar
3 lbs. sugar
3 Tbsp. mustard seed
2 Tbsp. tumeric
2 Tbsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce

Soak artichokes overnight in 1 gallon water and 1 cup of salt. In another container, soak the cabbage, onion and bell peppers in the remaining gallon of water and 1 cup of salt.

Drain all the vegetables, and spread them on separate towels to remove excess water.

Combine flour and prepared mustard in a bowl. Set aside.

In a 10-quart or larger pot, add the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, tumeric, celery seed and black pepper. Bring to a boil, and add the cabbage, onion and peppers. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Reduce heat to low.

Add 1 cup of cooking liquid to floor and mustard mixture, and then add the thinned mixture to the pot of vegetables. Add hot sauce and artichokes. Raise the heat and stir until almost boiling (about 5 minutes). Remove pot fro heat, and ladle hot relish into sterilized jars. Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes 17-18 pints.

Note: I have no idea why anyone would make a batch of 18 pints of something they've never tried, much less knew about prior to Internet searches. The only logical answer I have would be Christmas gifts. 'Tis the season.