Apple Relish Recipe

Apple Relish (Mrs. H. Offner)
page 96

• 1 banana chilli (because I'm a great, big chilli wuss), cored and deseeded
• 500g green apples, peeled and cored
• 500g brown onions, peeled
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 3/4 tblspn salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• sterilised bottles or jars

Put the chilli, apple and onion through a food processor or mincer in batches.  Ensure that you get a good mix of the three ingredients in each batch.  Process until fine.  Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bottle in sterilised jars.  Ensure that there is sufficient vinegar in each jar to cover the other ingredients and try to remove any air pockets.   Seal the jars and keep in a cool place.   It is good to use after two days.

This recipe turned out to be very cheap and quick to make.  It was also very economical, producing two jars full.  I don't forsee myself going through even one jar so I may have to give the other to my Mum. 

I would be very interested to see if using my food processor produced the same texture and consistency as using a mincer.  I do wonder if a mincer would create a more juicy mixture and make it hold together in a different way.   Really, the food processor just produce tiny sliced up bits of each of the vegetable ingredients.   I don't have a mincer of any kind at home so I made do with the food processor.

I ate the relish atop of pork sausages after the prescribed two days and enjoyed the flavour very much.  I haven't found any other way of using the relish as yet - if you have any ideas let me know!

Mrs H. Offner

In December 1932 a Mrs H. Offner attended a kindegarten college graduation ceremony - was this as a graduant or a parent/friend to a graduant?  The Courier Mail unfortunately didn't provide any details in the article.  

There were also a few reports of a Mrs H. Offner assisting in fundraising events on the Northside of Brisbane, including attendance (as a committee member of the R.S.S.I.L.A) of a Bridge Night at Nundah in August 1939 to raise funds for Kingshome and running the drinks and ice-cream stall at a Virginia Carnival to raise funds for the Australian Comforts Fund in September of 1941. 

In May 1940 a Mrs. H. Offner was the president in attendance at a fund raiser in Virginia to raise funds for the scouts and cubs' new hut.  Some of the attractions at the fete included 'Rides in a breeches buoy', 'fire-lighting by friction' and 'chariot races'.