Best Method recommended method with best effort-to-efficacy tradeoff 9-12 months
Refrigerated (Opened)
- Refrigerate after opening relish is lower in acid and higher in moisture than plain vinegar, so cold keeps it fresh and crunchy
- Keep the jar tightly sealed
- Store in the body of the fridge, not the door the door swings through warmer temperatures every time it opens
- Always scoop with a clean, dry utensil introducing food or moisture invites mold
Alternative another good method that's just different 18-24 months
Pantry (Unopened)
- Keep unopened in a cool, dark pantry
- Store away from heat and direct sun
- The best-by date is a quality guide, not a safety cutoff sealed relish stays safe well past it if the jar is undamaged
- Refrigerate once you break the seal
Fun Facts
- Relish is essentially a chopped vinegar pickle, which is why it shares the long shelf life of its whole-cucumber cousins.
- Sweet and dill relish last about the same amount of time; both lean on vinegar as their primary preservative, not sugar or dill.