How to Make Corn Relish in Canada

Corn relish is the August-September preserve that uses sweet corn at its peak. It’s a sweet-tangy chunky condiment — corn kernels, diced bell peppers, onion, mustard-celery-turmeric spice — that pairs with grilled meats, charcuterie boards, and burgers. A 500 mL jar lasts through dozens of meals.

The vinegar ratio is non-negotiable for food safety, since corn is naturally low-acid. The section below says exactly which figures on this page are Bernardin’s and which are ours.

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Corrected 31 Aug 2026, and the ratio was not the problem. This page’s vinegar proportion is sound — measured against total vegetable it carries proportionally more vinegar than Bernardin’s Home-Style Corn Relish. What was wrong was the attribution: the page called itself the Bernardin method and described its ratio as tested, when no Bernardin corn relish had been checked. It has now been, and the figures we borrow from it are named where they appear. Separately, and more seriously: the optional flour thickener has been withdrawn. Bernardin thickens with ClearJel, a starch made for canning; ordinary flour and cornstarch interfere with heat penetration, which our own salsa guide already said. The vegetables are now measured in cups, because the safety ratio was stated in units the recipe never asked anyone to measure.

What Bernardin publishes, and where this recipe differs

Bernardin does publish a corn relish — Home-Style Corn Relish, in their Vegetables category. Four things below are theirs; the formulation is ours.

	Bernardin	This recipe
Process time	15 min at up to 1000 ft (305 m)	same — theirs
Headspace	1 cm	same — theirs
Jar size	500 mL only	same — theirs
Blanch the ears	5 minutes	same — theirs
Thickener	ClearJel, 2 tbsp in ¼ cup water	none — see below
Vegetable	8 c corn, 4 c pepper, 1¾ c celery, 1 c onion	4 c corn, 2 c pepper, ½ c onion — no celery
Vinegar : vegetable	4 c : ~14.75 c	2 c : 6.5 c — proportionally more vinegar
Method	brine to a rolling boil, vegetables added a cup at a time, then 5 min gentle boil	everything combined, then 20 min uncovered simmer — a reduction step theirs does not have

Our ratio is safer than theirs and our recipe is still not theirs. Those are separate facts and both matter: a formulation that reduces for twenty minutes, drops an ingredient and uses whole mustard seed where they use dry mustard is a different recipe, even when every figure we borrowed is borrowed correctly. It is why this page is no longer titled the Bernardin method.

On thickening — do not use flour or cornstarch. Bernardin thickens with ClearJel, a modified starch made for canning. Ordinary starches interfere with heat penetration, which is why our salsa guide rules them out too. This page used to suggest a flour slurry; that has been withdrawn. If you want a thicker relish, either use ClearJel following the directions on its package, or simply simmer a little longer — the 20-minute reduction below already does most of the work.

Pick your corn

Use the best Canadian sweet corn you can find, ideally picked the same day you make the relish. Sweet corn converts sugars to starch within hours of picking, so day-old corn is dramatically less sweet than fresh (growing sweet corn in Canada).

• Peaches and Cream / Honey and Cream — bi-colour Canadian standards. Sweet, tender kernels.
• Kandy Korn — super-sweet variety; longer shelf life off the cob
• White-cob heritage (Country Gentleman) — older variety, less sweet but more corn-flavour
• Mirai — premium super-sweet, common in Ontario farm stands

You need 8-10 ears of corn for a 6-jar batch, yielding about 4 cups of kernels once blanched and cut.

Farm-stand tip: buy corn the morning of canning if at all possible. Bring it home and process within 6 hours of picking for peak sweetness.

What you need

• 8-10 ears fresh sweet corn — blanched 5 minutes, then measure 4 cups (1000 mL) of kernels
• 2 cups (500 mL) diced red and green bell pepper — about 2 large
• ½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped onion — about 1 small
• 2 cups white or apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar — or up to 2 cups for sweeter relish
• 2 tbsp pickling salt (non-iodized)
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric — for the iconic golden colour
• Bernardin 500 mL regular-mouth jars — yields about 6. This is the only jar size Bernardin publishes for corn relish, so it is the only one we give a time for.
• Standard canning kit — jar lifter, headspace tool, funnel, water-bath canner, ladle, large pot for the cooking

Method

Step 1: Blanch and cut the corn off the cobs

1. Husk the corn, remove silk threads. 1b. Blanch the ears in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cool enough to handle. This is Bernardin’s step and it sets the kernels before cutting.
2. Stand each cob in a wide bowl (the bowl catches kernels and the liquid that spurts out).
3. Run a sharp knife down the cob, removing kernels in long strips.
4. After cutting all kernels, scrape the cob with the back of the knife to release the milk and starchy pulp. This is what makes relish creamy.
5. Measure the kernels — you want 4 cups (1000 mL). The ratio on this page is stated against measured vegetable, so this is a measuring step, not an estimate.

Step 2: Prep the vegetables

1. Bell peppers — remove stems, seeds, and white pith. Dice into 6 mm (¼ inch) pieces.
2. Onion — peel and dice into 6 mm (¼ inch) pieces.
3. Measure both: 2 cups (500 mL) diced pepper and ½ cup (125 mL) onion. Extra vegetable means extra low-acid food for the same vinegar — if you scale one up, scale the vinegar with it.

Step 3: Combine and cook

1. In a large heavy pot combine:
   • 4 cups (1000 mL) corn kernels (plus the scrapings from the cobs)
   • 2 cups (500 mL) diced red and green pepper
   • ½ cup (125 mL) chopped onion
   • 2 cups (500 mL) vinegar
   • 1.5 cups sugar
   • 2 tbsp pickling salt
   • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
   • 1 tsp celery seeds
   • 1 tsp turmeric
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
3. Reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The corn softens, the vegetables become translucent, the brine reduces slightly.
5. For thicker relish: simmer a few minutes longer, or use ClearJel per its package directions. Do not use flour or cornstarch — ordinary starches interfere with heat penetration in the jar. (This page used to suggest a flour slurry. It was wrong to.)

Step 4: Pack the jars

1. Have your water-bath canner simmering with enough water to cover jars by 2.5 cm.
2. Have hot jars ready, fresh SNAP lids on the counter.
3. Ladle hot relish into hot jars. Leave 1 cm (½ inch) headspace.
4. Run the headspace tool down inside each jar to release air bubbles.
5. Wipe rims clean. Apply lids fingertip-tight.

Step 5: Process

1. Lower jars into the canner. Water should cover by 2.5 cm.
2. Bring water back to a rolling boil.
3. Process 500 mL jars for 15 minutes at altitudes up to 305 m — Bernardin’s figure, from Home-Style Corn Relish. We do not publish a time for 250 mL: they do not publish that jar size for corn relish, and we will not invent one.
4. Adjust for altitude per our altitude-adjustments guide.
5. Cool 24 hours undisturbed on a towel.
6. Check seals.

If a jar doesn’t seal: the 24-hour rule applies.

Wait 2 weeks before eating

Like all relishes and pickles, corn relish improves with 2 weeks of jar-aging. Flavours meld; turmeric darkens slightly; the vinegar mellows.

Storage

• Cool, dark, dry place at room temperature
• Best quality 12 months — Bernardin’s guidance is to use home-canned food within one year. That is a quality window, not an expiry: the jar is as safe as the process made it. Colour, flavour and texture fade.
• After opening: refrigerate, use within one week (HealthLink BC)
• Inspect before opening — bulging lids, off smell, mould = discard

Corrected 31 Aug 2026: this page previously gave an after-opening window of 1-2 months. HealthLink BC File #22 publishes one week for any opened home-canned container — “Once the container has been opened, refrigerate leftovers, and use within one week.” Our longer figure was never attributed to anyone. The shelf life of the sealed jar is unchanged.

Variations

Bernardin states the rule themselves, in the headnote to their Seasoned Tomato Sauce — a tested recipe is safe because its acidity and its processing time were established together:

“Even though onions are added to this tomato sauce, it can still be processed safely in a boiling water canner. This is because its acidity and a safe processing time have been scientifically determined. Do not alter ingredients as this may result in an unsafe product.”

That sentence is about a tomato sauce, not about corn relish — but the rule it states is general, and it is why everything below belongs in the refrigerator rather than on the shelf.

Spicy corn relish (refrigerator only)

Add 2-3 finely diced jalapeños or 1 diced habanero. Do not water-bath this version — chilies are another low-acid vegetable, and adding them without adding vinegar in proportion changes the only barrier the jar has. Make it for the fridge and use it within 4-6 weeks.

Mexican-style street-corn relish

Add 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp smoked paprika at step 3. Squeeze a fresh lime into each jar before processing (the bottled lemon juice rule doesn’t apply here — the vinegar already does the acid lift).

Curried corn relish

Replace turmeric with 2 tsp curry powder. Pakistani-Canadian style; great on naan with grilled chicken.

Corn-and-bean relish (refrigerator only)

Replace 1 cup of corn with 1 cup of cooked black beans, drained and rinsed. Never water-bath this one. Beans are dense and low-acid — they are a pressure-canning food, and no tested water-bath relish recipe includes them. Fridge only, 4-6 weeks.

Tomato corn relish

Replace bell peppers with 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes (deseeded). Brighter, summery — and note this is our variation, not a tested one.

Refrigerator corn relish (no canning)

Skip the water-bath. Cook the relish in step 3, jar it, fridge it. Lasts 4-6 weeks. This window is ours. No authority we could find publishes a keeping time for a home-made refrigerated preserve. Past it, Québec’s rule applies: “When in doubt, throw it out!” Same flavour progression. The easiest entry point if you don’t yet own canning equipment.

How to use corn relish

• On grilled hot dogs and brats — the canonical use
• On burgers — adds sweet-tangy crunch
• Alongside grilled chicken or pork
• On a charcuterie board with sharp cheese
• In tuna or chicken salad — replaces relish entirely
• On a pulled-pork sandwich with coleslaw
• As a topping for nachos with sour cream
• In cornbread batter — stir 2 tbsp in for a sweet-tangy bite
• Straight from the jar as a snack with crackers

Common problems

• Corn turned tough. Overcooked or used over-mature corn (sugar already converted to starch). Use fresh sweet corn and stop cooking at 20 minutes.
• Brine separated from solids. Some separation is normal, and is not a fault. Simmering a little longer reduces it; do not reach for flour or cornstarch to fix it.
• Relish is too sweet/tart. Adjust sugar within ½ cup either way next batch. Don’t change vinegar — it’s the food-safety component.
• Turmeric stained my hands and counter. Welcome to turmeric. Lemon juice with salt removes most stains; persistent stains fade in days.
• Jars didn’t seal. 24-hour rule.
• Bulging lid after weeks. Discard immediately. Possible spoilage / gas production. Low-acid corn in inadequate vinegar can support botulinum growth — don’t take chances.

Yield expectations

• 8-10 ears corn + 2 cups pepper + ½ cup onion → 6 × 500 mL jars
• 500 mL is the only size Bernardin publishes for corn relish, so it is the only size this page processes. An opened jar keeps about a week refrigerated (HealthLink BC), so plan to share or use one steadily once it is open
• A double batch (12 × 500 mL) is a year’s supply for an average household

Why corn relish is worth making

• Best August preserve — sweet corn is at peak; you literally can’t buy this quality of corn relish commercially
• Gift-friendly — a jar with a handwritten label makes a good hostess gift
• Versatile — works as a condiment with almost any savoury food
• Forgiving recipe — the spices flex a long way without touching the safety maths. The vinegar and the vegetable quantities do not: more low-acid vegetable against the same vinegar is a weaker acid ratio, which is the one thing this recipe cannot absorb
• Heritage Canadian recipe — Mennonite, Ontario rural, and Maritime cookbooks all carry versions

Next steps

• How to dehydrate corn in Canada — the non-canning corn preservation
• How to make pickled beets — September preserve, similar method
• How to make dilly beans — August preserve, similar method
• How to make bread-and-butter pickles — same mustard-celery spice family
• Canning altitude adjustments — required reading
• Best water-bath canner — equipment
• Water-bath canning pillar — broader method