South Liberty Hall Relish

James and Dorothy are here. They arrived Sunday afternoon in Dorothy's car — she drove, which James reported as a development from earlier this year when she was still mostly passenger, and which I read as a statement about her recovery that is clearer than any test result. A woman who wants to drive herself somewhere is a woman who is back in charge of her own direction.

She walked in and went straight to the kitchen, which is what I expected. She stood in it and said: this is exactly how I imagined it. She had been hearing about my kitchen for twenty-five years of knowing James and she said it was exactly as she had pictured. I said, I've been cooking here for twenty-three years. She said, it shows. She said it as the highest compliment and I received it as such.

We made tomato preserves Monday morning — the early romas, just enough of them, perfect timing. We stood at the stove together for four hours and it was exactly what I hoped: two women in a kitchen who both know what it is to come back to something, doing the slow work of putting summer up in jars, talking about everything and nothing and the space in between. James sat at the kitchen table and read and periodically contributed opinions that neither of us requested. Like Marcus used to do, I thought. Like CJ does. There is a specific genus of man who narrates the cooking he is not doing, and this family has collected two of them.

Dorothy is well. I can see it in her hands — they are a cook's hands again, sure and reaching. The tomato preserves came out right. We labeled the jars together: her handwriting on half, mine on the other half. That is what belongs in a jar of preserves: the summer that made them and the hands that put it up.

South Liberty Hall Relish is what I reached for after that Monday morning, because it is the closest thing I know to writing down what we actually did — tomatoes, heat, time, and company. Dorothy and I did not follow a recipe exactly, we never do, but this one lives in the spirit of those four hours: slow and purposeful, the kind of work that rewards patience and fills the house with something that smells like the best version of late summer. Make it with someone if you can. Label the jars together when you’re done.

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8 half-pint jars

Ingredients

8 cups ripe roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (about 4 lbs)
2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score the bottom of each tomato with an X, then blanch in batches for 30–60 seconds. Transfer immediately to an ice bath. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, core, and chop finely. Drain excess liquid.
Combine vegetables. In a large, heavy-bottomed nonreactive pot, combine the chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and red pepper. Stir to mix evenly.
Add remaining ingredients. Pour in the vinegar and add the sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed, allspice, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir well to combine.
Cook low and slow. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring every 15–20 minutes, for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the relish is thickened, deeply colored, and reduced by roughly half. Do not rush this step — the long simmer is what gives the relish its body and depth.
Prepare jars. While the relish finishes cooking, sterilize 8 half-pint canning jars and lids in a water bath canner according to standard canning procedure. Keep jars hot until ready to fill.
Fill and seal. Ladle the hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean with a damp cloth. Apply lids and bands, fingertip-tight.
Process in water bath. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (adjust for altitude if needed). Remove and let cool undisturbed on a towel-lined counter for 12 hours. Check seals before storing.
Label and store. Label each jar with the date and maker’s name. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening and use within 3 weeks.

Nutrition (per serving, approximately 2 tablespoons)

South Liberty Hall Relish — The Jar That Holds the Summer and the Hands That Put It Up