The High Cost of Corn Relish

Corn relish is something I was introduced to last year after reading Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon cookbook.  I was intrigued and gave it a try and it was a big hit.  I served it on relish tray's and as a condiment for venison brats and was very impressed at how well it went with just about everything I served it with.  So when the sweet corn was ready this year it was a no brainer that I would be making more relish.  So last Tuesday I went to the farmers market and purchased all the needed ingredients and brought them home and got to work.

The first step in the process is to remove the corn from the cob.  Last year I bought one of those fancy tools designed specifically for removing corn from the cob.  I promptly broke it when I got home, then I used a knife to cut the corn off the cob and didn't like the way it was working and then it dawned on me that I could use a mandolin to rip the corn off the cob.  The mandolin I own has an adjustable blade depth so I could set it as thick as I wanted, it worked great and sped up the process a great deal.  So naturally this year I used the same process.  By the time I got to the 21st ear of corn I was flying through them, perhaps I should have slowed down because it was the 22nd ear of corn that slipped and my thumb went through the blade instead of the corn.  It was only a small piece of my thumb but it bled for about twenty minutes and I couldn't get it to stop so I had to make a trip to the local ER where I spent 45 minutes holding hands with a guy named Troy who was holding gel foam (a coagulant foam like substance) on the wound it eventually stopped bleeding and I was on my way home to finish the corn relish.

When I got home I got the rest of the ingredients chopped and got the relish on the stove to cook.  Chopping is a much more difficult skill when your thumb is pulsing like a techno beat at a rave.  I got the relish finished and canned 6 quarts.  All the ingredients of the relish cost about 30 dollars plus the co-pay for the ER visit and that makes my corn relish about 30 dollars a quart.  The things we do for food.

Martin Picard's Corn Relish

24 ears of corn
1 head of celery
4 large onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
3 cups white vinegar
1 cups prepared mustard
3 cups light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon salt

cut the raw kernals from the cob
cut the celery, onions and peppers into 1/4 inch dice
add all the ingredients into a large cooking pot bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes
sterilize your jars and can according to your canners instructions