Cucumber relish is easy to make and can at home - it just takes a slight bit of patience, since the relish must sit a couple of times to drain out the excess liquid. Here's the recipe I use (from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving), along with a few tips from my own kitchen; enjoy!

Canning Basic Dill Relish

Makes about 7 pint jars (or 18 8 oz. jelly jars) 

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8 lbs. pickling cucumbers (According to the Extension websites, it's safe to substitute zucchini or other summer squash for the cucumber.)

1/2 cup canning/pickling salt (Most of this salt gets washed away before canning, but the entire amount is necessary in order to draw out the liquid in the cucumbers/squash.)

2 teaspoons ground turmeric (Optional, but recommended; the flavor will be mild in the finished relish.)

4 cups water

2 1/2 cups chopped onions (I use yellow onions for their mild/sweet flavor, but any type of bulb onion is safe to use.)

1/3 cup organic granulated sugar 

2 tablespoons dill seeds

4 cups white wine vinegar (It's safe to substitute any type of vinegar, as long as it's acidity is 5%. I often use regular white vinegar.)

Click here to brush up on the basics of water bath canning.

1. Finely chop the cucumbers, or run them through a food processor fitted with a metal blade. For the latter, work in batches and don't let the cucumber pieces get so fine they are almost liquid. If needed, get the cucumbers to the correct size (think store bought relish), remove any larger pieces, empty the food processor, and add the larger chunks back in to continue processing. Transfer the relish-sized pieces to a very large stainless steel bowl or a large stainless steel pot.

Preparing the relish.

2. Sprinkle the relish with the salt and turmeric, add the water, stir, cover, and let sit in a cool location (70-75 degrees F) for 2 hours.

3. Place a colander in the sink and transfer the relish to it. Allow it to drain thoroughly. (My colander tends to let pieces of the cucumber slip through during this process, so I prefer to place the colander over a large pot. After the relish is done draining, I scoop out any pieces of relish that ended up in the pot and add them back to the colander.)

4. Rinse the relish with cool water and drain thoroughly again. Use your hands to squeeze out any additional liquid. The relish will not be completely liquid-free.

5. Pour the relish into a clean, dry, large stainless steel pot and add the onions, sugar, dill seed, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and boil gently, stirring now and then, until the mixture is heated through and slightly thickened. (About 10 minutes.)

Cooking the relish.

6. Ladle some hot relish into a hot canning jar. (The original recipe calls for pint jars, but it's always safe to reduce the jar size; I like to use 8 oz. jelly jars. Just be sure to keep the processing time called for in the recipe; processing time does not diminish just because you use a smaller jar.) Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Bubble the jar, wipe the rim, add the lid and screwband, and place the jar in a prepared water bath canner filled with hot water. Repeat, one jar at a time, until all the relish is gone.

7. Process jars for 15 minutes. Click here to learn how to adjust processing time for your altitude.