Corn relish is a delicious way to enjoy corn on just about anything, and it’s particularly tasty topping summer grilling recipes.
When the fresh sweet corn comes in there’s always way more than we can eat in season. Canning plain corn kernels (or creamed corn) works well in a pressure canner, but I’m always looking for more corn canning recipes to put up the crop.
Beyond that, many of you have specifically asked me for corn canning recipes for a water bath canner. Not everyone’s into pressure canning, and sometimes you just want to put up a few pints of fresh summer flavor without all the fuss of pressure canning.
This past summer, I poured over all my canning books and found the perfect corn relish recipe for canning. Not too spicy, not too sweet, and ideal for summer cookouts.
My husband is a particular fan of pickled peppers, especially pickled jalapenos, and cowboy candy, but that’s too much for me. I want balance, a bit of sweet, a bit of spice, and enough zesty acidity to keep things interesting.
This corn relish recipe is absolutely perfect!
There are only three safe, tested recipes for canning corn relish, and this is one of them. It happens to be my favorite, but I know everyone’s tastes are different.
I’ve also included the other two corn relish canning recipes (scroll down for those), and I’ll let you make your own choice. The canning instructions for all three are the same, and the ingredients/seasonings only vary slightly.
Ingredients for Corn Relish
Making good corn relish is all about balance. There’s quite a bit of natural sweetness in the corn, and you add a bit of extra sugar to make sure it stays that way after all the vinegar is added.
It’s a bit salty, but not as much as a pickle, and there’s just enough seasoning to make things interesting.
Lastly, while it’s almost all corn, there’s a mix of vegetables to add color and textural interest to the finished relish.
My favorite corn relish recipe includes the following:
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
- 2 cups diced bell pepper (green, red, or mixed)
- 2 cups diced onion (sweet, white, yellow or red)
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup diced cucumber (unpeeled for color)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp canning salt (reduce to 1 Tbsp for a lower salt version)
- 3 cups diced seeded peeled tomatoes (added at the end)
How to Make Corn Relish
The process is incredibly simple, and really just requires adding the ingredients to the pot and simmering until everything’s hot before canning.
Add all the ingredients to the pot (except tomatoes) and bring everything to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes to dissolve the salt/sugar, and help the vinegar infuse into the vegetables.
Next, add the tomatoes and return the mixture to a simmer for about 5 more minutes.
It’s important to add the tomatoes towards the end so they hold together a bit and don’t turn into tomato sauce.
Once everything’s hot, you can ladle it into canning jars.
Canning Corn Relish
All three of these corn relish recipes are approved for canning, and they all have the same canning instructions. That said, canning is optional, and it’s totally fine to just make these as refrigerator relish and store them in the refrigerator.
Personally, I choose to can them because it allows me to store them right on the pantry shelf and use them year-round. I absolutely love them in the early summer when we pull the grill out for cookouts, but we’re still months away from fresh summer corn.
If you’re not familiar with canning, I’d suggest reading my beginner’s guide to water bath canning before getting started.
Prepare a water bath canner for hot pack by filling it with water and bringing it up to a simmer (around 180 degrees F). Also prepare pint jars, lids, and rings.
Make the corn relish as instructed, and then ladle into prepared canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process in a water bath canner, adjusting for elevation. The canning times are as follows:
- 0 to 1,000 Feet elevation process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes.
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet elevation process pint jars for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes.
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet elevation process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.
Corn Relish Recipe Variations
This is by far my favorite corn relish recipe, but that’s perhaps because it’s a New England variation. The original recipe includes old bay seasoning, which I omit because it makes the relish more versatile.
The All-New Ball Book of Home Canning calls it Eastern Shore Corn Relish.
The recipe includes 2 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning, and I add in an extra tablespoon of salt instead (bringing the total to 2 Tbsp of salt total). If you add the old bay, reduce the salt to 1 Tbsp as old bay is about half salt by volume.
Older canning books have very different corn relish recipes, and I’ve dug through literally 30 different canning books to find other corn relish recipes. (I have quite the canning library…)
The recipe I’m using (in the recipe card below) makes a total of 5 pints, and is canned for 15 minutes in pints (if below 1,000 feet in elevation).
Beyond this corn relish canning recipe, I’ve only found two other variations. They’re all the exact same two recipes listed in every other book, so there really aren’t that many tested recipes for canning corn relish.
It makes sense, as corn is very low acid, and when you’re canning plain corn it takes forever in the pressure canner. It takes a lot of extra acidity to make this work in a water bath canner as a relish.
The Ball Book of Home Preserving, which is just the “old” ball book of home canning happens to have both the other approved corn relish canning recipes. Both of these recipes also make 5 pints and are processed in a water bath canner for the same amount of time, with the same 1/2 inch headspace.
Traditional Corn Relish, as they call it, has cabbage, onion, and red bell pepper along with quite a few different seasonings. The ingredients are as follows:
- 9 cups corn kernels
- 3 cups finely chopped cabbage
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped, seeded red bell pepper
- 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp celery seeds
- 1 Tbsp mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
Homestyle Corn Relish has many of the same seasonings and vegetables but opts for diced celery instead of cabbage.
They also use clearjel, a canning-approved thickener, to make this relish gel a bit in the jar. It’s thicker, somewhat like home-canned pie fillings, and while I don’t like it that way, everyone has different tastes.
The ingredients are as follows:
- 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 8 cups corn kernels
- 4 cups diced seeded bell peppers (red and green)
- 1 3/4 cups diced celery
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp celery seeds
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp clearjel, cook type for canning
All the ingredients are added to the pot and simmered for a few minutes, then the clearjel and water are mixed together to form a paste before they’re added. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring to distribute the clearjel before ladling into canning jars.
Ways to Preserve Corn
Looking for more ways to preserve corn?
Corn Relish Recipe for Canning
Corn relish is a delicious way to use corn all season long, and this canning recipe will let you enjoy it year-round too!
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
- 2 cups diced bell pepper (green, red or mixed)
- 2 cups diced onion (sweet or regular)
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup diced cucumber (unpeeled)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp canning salt
- 3 cups diced seeded peeled tomatoes
Instructions
If canning, prepare a water bath canner for a hot pack before starting. Also, prepare pint jars and rings.
- Bring all ingredients (except tomatoes) to a boil in a 6-quart stockpot or dutch oven. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot and cook an additional 5 minutes. (Be sure not to add the tomatoes at the beginning, they'll fall apart into sauce.)
- Ladle the corn relish into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Debubble jars, wipe rims and apply 2 part canning lids to finger tight.
- If canning, use a jar lifter to load the jars into a water bath canner and process pint jars for 15 minutes (if below 1,000 feet in elevation, see altitude adjustments in notes for higher elevations). Turn off the heat and let the jars stand for an additional 5 minutes in the canner before removing them to cool on a towel on the counter.
- After 24 hours, check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use. Properly canned and sealed jars can be stored in the pantry shelf and will keep 12-18 months.
Notes
Altitude Adjustments for Canning:
- 0 to 1,000 Feet elevation process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes.
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet elevation process pint jars for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes.
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet elevation process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe from the All New Ball Book of Canning includes 2 Tbsp of old bay seasoning, which gives this a New England clam bake flavor and makes it great for summer seafood. It's optional, but if you choose to use that in this recipe, reduce the salt to 1 Tbsp. I've omitted it, which I think makes this corn relish recipe a lot more versatile.
Canning this corn relish is optional but does allow you to store it a room temperature on the pantry shelf. It can be made without canning and just stored in the refrigerator. It'll keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
If water bath canned, it'll keep for 12-18 months on the pantry shelf without losing quality. Refrigerate after opening.
Other Corn Relish Recipes for Canning
There are only three tested, safe canning recipes for corn relish (at least that I can find in reputable canning books). My favorite version is above, but I'll also include the others so that you have all the options.
The Ball Book of Home Preserving, which is just the "old" ball book of home canning happens to have both the other approved corn relish canning recipes. Both of these recipes also make 5 pints and are processed in a water bath canner for the same amount of time, with the same 1/2 inch headspace.
Traditional Corn Relish, as they call it, has cabbage, onion, and red bell pepper along with quite a few different seasonings. The ingredients are as follows:
- 9 cups corn kernels
- 3 cups finely chopped cabbage
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped, seeded red bell pepper
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp celery seeds
- 1 Tbsp mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
Homestyle Corn Relish has many of the same seasonings and vegetables but opts for diced celery instead of cabbage.
They also use clearjel, a canning-approved thickener, to make this relish gel a bit in the jar. It's thicker, somewhat like home-canned pie fillings, and while I don't like it that way, everyone has different tastes.
The ingredients are as follows:
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 8 cups corn kernels
- 4 cups diced seeded bell peppers (red and green)
- 1 3/4 cups diced celery
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp celery seeds
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp clearjel, cook type for canning
All the ingredients are added to the pot and simmered for a few minutes, then the clearjel and water are mixed together to form a paste before they're added. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring to distribute the clearjel before ladling into canning jars.
Summer Canning Recipes
Need a few more seasonal preservation recipes to put up the summer’s bounty?
- Canning Peaches
- Canning Whole Tomatoes
- Canning Blueberries
- Canning Blackberries
- Dill Pickle Recipe for Canning
- Bread and Butter Pickles
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