Sweet Dill Pickle Relish

I am adapting this from a Mennonite recipe that makes about a years supply of relish, so have patience with me! To make about 8 quarts of relish, you need about a gallon of pickles AFTER they're chopped. If was making this for a lifetime supply of relish it would work, but I don't have that much storage space!

This is what I came up with. I bought a gallon of large, ballpark style pickles from the grocery store and a bag of onions so I could play with the proportions.

About 6 large pickles chopped in a food processor makes about two cups of ground pickles. Two small onions chopped makes about one-half cup of ground onions. This produced 3 pint jars of relish. So here is my final draft of the adapted recipe. To make 6 pints of relish.

• 12 jumbo pickles (a one gallon container)
• 4 white onions
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of celery seed
• 1 tablespoon of tumeric
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seed
• 1/4 cup salt for wilting pickles

Chop pickles and onions in food processor. Not to a puree, but close.
Place in a large bowl, add salt and let sit for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, strain off excess juice through a cheesecloth or very fine colander.
Place the mixture into a large cooking pot. Add sugar, vinegar, and spices. Heat until it begins to boil.
Place into pint jars, the recipe should make about 6 pints.
Boil in water bath canner for 10 minutes to seal lids.
Let cool overnight and use "prn"!

Redneck Tomato Garden using 5 Gallon Buckets

To create a tomato container garden you are going to need:

• 1 five gallon bucket per plant
• peat or compost
• fillers such as empty water bottles or soda cans or even beer cans will work
• drill
• small to medium growing tomato plants (I used Roma tomatoes)
• water
• sunshine

For the good ole' upright tomato plantings.

First dig some empty cans or plastic bottles out of your recycle bin.  Busch Light cans work just as good as any!

Drill 5-6 holes in the bottom of the bucket for water drainage.

Then fill your five gallon bucket up till there is about 12 inches of space left for dirt.

Add your compost or potting soil up to about 5 inches from the top.

Place your plant in the center of the bucket.

Cover roots and stem with soil up to the top of the bucket.  It will pack down after a few waterings and you may want to add more soil.

Plant in a location that will get at least 12 hours of sun a day.

Water every 7-10 days if needed.