True Grits and Relish

Grits are a staple dish in this part of the country, pretty much everyone knows that or discovers that after reading back issues of Coastal Living, Garden and Gun or Southern Living. Sometimes it's a reference to the people you find in the Lowcountry (those I like to refer to as salt of the sea type folk) other times its the food product. Our local farmers markets provide a myriad of produce, food products and grit (we have an abundance of such entities in Beaufort County, just waiting for another one to pop up so that we can start taglining the area as "serving local product from the source seven days a week"...seriously I think that would be something to tout) . One of my favorite food product vendors that exemplifies true grit as they make the rounds to all the local markets is Vegetable Kingdom, they carry jarred delicacies from preserves to pickles to chutney in about every seasonal flavor imaginable. My favorite is the Hot Pepper Pecan Jelly, truly it can stand on its own no need to use it as a garnish or spread, but lately I've been turned on to their relishes. So I've pulled out a recipe from my Vegetarian Recipes: Better Homes and Gardens Cooking for Today a 1993 hard copy edition that takes the ever popular staple (grits) and marries it with a relish...Southern Grits Casserole with Red Pepper Relish. I've married this particular recipe with VK's Cool Point Tomato Relish, but can say the red pepper relish visually makes for a far better table setting. I like food with my eyes as well as my palate and this casserole makes for a great Sunday Brunch filled with ah has!