Not sure how removing some of the sugar would affect the texture of the relish, but it certainly is an option. Texture can be impacted by cooking the relish down, too but it isn't but 5 min after coming to a boil which doesn't cook down the veggies too much before going into the BWB. Since dill is a dry spice you can safely add it to the recipe, too. I wonder if it will get lost in the vinegar and mustard brine but it is worth a try. Perhaps you could do a half batch to test your desired changes to see if you get what your looking for.

Yes, I think I need to try a small batch. I don't want to waste any produce from the garden if I can help It! Thanks!

The mustard relish recipe is an old one that has hung on long after the use of prepared mustard option was removed from all but 1 other recipe (because of the pH and the thickeners in it plus the cornstarch). So it has often been a controversial recipe but it repeatedly holds up to safe testing as it is written so has been allowed to remain.

Still it isn't usually considered one to experiment with since it is so borderline on the safety scale.

As canfan said adding any dry spices or seasonings isn't a problem and can actually have a marginal increase in safety since they absorb some of the free water in the recipe (water has a pH of 7+). But any other changes in the recipe really aren't recommended.

Keep in mind that sugar also plays a marginal safety role by binding up free water so only a minimal reduction might still be ok but not much. Better to simply compensate for the "too sweet" by adding more vinegar. Since it is only a 1:1 ratio (water to vinegar) to begin with more vinegar certainly isn't going to hurt and can really increase the safety margin.

Dave

There are so many things I like about this recipe, I wanted to see if I could get a dill/garlic version without compromising quality or safety. The ingredient list is short, which can be filled from my garden, and is relatively fast to prepare. I also like that this recipe is given in weights, so I can use my scale and weigh exactly. It says to bring veggies to a boil in salt water, simmer for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Add the sugar, vinegar, mustard, and cornstarch (which I omitted the last time I made this), bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, jar and process. So while the total water:vinegar is 1:1, the water gets drained and you jar it with straight vinegar. I may have incorrectly assumed that this has greater safety factor associated with it than if it went into the jar with a 1:1 solution. When I made this last, I had reduced sugar from 4 cups to 3 cups. I will try your advice on keeping sugar the same and upping the vinegar. Thank you for your help, Dave!