Back in my younger years, I remember my grandmother and mother making pepper relish in the summer with produce grown in their gardens. This year, I decided to try making Chow Chow. Popular in the south, I prefer this relish with its sweet and tangy flavor, since that is more descriptive of my tastes. They used a hand-cranked grinder from what I remember. Even though this is different from their version of relish, I’m sure they would approve, and be proud of, my results if they were still here to taste-test. The process was broken down into two days which I will describe below in more detail. So take your time and enjoy the end result! Thank you to Taste of Southern for their guidance in creating the recipe on their site for Chow Chow Relish from which this was slightly adapted. Now, let’s get to it!
Day 1:
Veggie Prep
Cut cabbage into quarters and core. Separate each quarter into two layers of leaves. Flatten out and slice into thin strips, then cut across for smaller chunks, about 1/2″ in size. Measure 8 cups of the chunks. Once measured, place into a large non-reactive bowl such as glass or stainless steel, not aluminum. Do not add any more than 8 cups of chopped cabbage ! Reserve any extra for other purposes.
I had an over abundance of little green cherry tomatoes on my 3 Sun Gold plants and I didn’t want the upcoming frost to cause them their demise. Days were getting shorter and weather cooler so they weren’t going to turn any time soon. Let’s put them to use! I had over 6 cups of little green tomatoes of varying sizes to use. Whew! Depending on their size, I either sliced them into eighths or quarters. I had just enough for this recipe, once cut. In my first attempt of making Chow Chow, I used 4 medium-large, cored green tomatoes to measure required amount. Some pictures on this post may show that first attempt as well in the process described below.
For the rest of the veggie prep:
- Peel, dice, 4 cups of Vidalia onions.
- Slice off tops(stems) and bottoms of the bell peppers. Remove any other seeds and membranes. Cut mid-section in half (top-down). Lay sections flat onto cutting board and slice into strips, then dice into about 1/4″ pieces. You will need 2 cups green and 1 cup red. Reserve any extra beyond this for other uses.
- Stem the jalapeno and slice lengthwise. Remove seeds. Slice each half into this strips then finely dice. I usually chop pile again to make them even smaller. *Depending on the size of your jalapenos, you may need 2 to measure 2 tablespoons.
Salting:
Sprinkle 1/4 cup Kosher salt over the contents of the veggie bowl. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to toss and distribute salt throughout the mix. Pull veggies up from the bottom as you rotate the bowl around to help thoroughly coat its contents. The salt will pull excess water from the veggies.
Resting Time:
Once salt is distributed throughout the veggies, cover up the top with foil and let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours before placing it in the fridge overnight. The salt will help remove the excess water from the veggies. (A salting process helps prevent watery coleslaw! Check it out! ) Tomorrow, we will rinse the salt out so don’t worry!
Day 2:
Why two days? I didn’t start chopping the veggies in day 1 until late afternoon. (I had a busy morning schedule.) The final process on the second day was completed first thing on the following morning. Suggestions were given for it to sit overnight in the fridge on a few sites, so went with the majority rule.
Sterilize the jars before beginning the final process by slow boiling them for 15 minutes.
Remove veggies from fridge. You will see some settling has occured as the salt has removed some of their liquid. It was over the 4L mark(note level above), but is now at the 3L mark.
Drain/Rinse:
Place veggies in a LARGE colander to drain out any salty water. Rinse with sink sprayer or running cold water while tossing veggies up from bottom, going around all sides a few times. You can use your hands or a rubber spatula to scoop and lift them from the bottom. Be thorough! Allow them to drain once more. Shake a bit to remove any excess water. Place the colander next to the stove.
Into the Pot!
In a large saucepot, combine sugar with the spices. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil over HIGH heat, then reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
Slowly stir in the veggies. Bring to a boil again over HIGH heat, then reduce heat to MEDIUM for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove pot from heat source and use a slotted spoon to fill the sterilized jars with the veggies and a ladle to scoop some of the liquid. leaving about 1/4-1/2″ head space.
Wipe rims with clean/wet paper towels. Place on the sterilized lids, followed by the rings. Screw them on tightly.
Processing:
Place sealed jars with rings in boiling water for 10 minutes. Make sure they are covered by at least an inch of water above the tops. Remove with a rubberized grip utensil. Repeat with the remaining unprocessed jars.
Place jars on a clean towel on the counter with spacing between them. As they cool off and begin to seal completely, you should hear a “ping” sound as the top center sucks in. You will see the center of the lid go from slightly convex to concave. At this point, allow them to remain on your counter until completely cooled; I usually allow them to sit on the counter overnight before storing them.
The Many uses of Chow Chow Relish:
As I was previewing recipes, I found many uses for Chow Chow. Many of them I’ve listed below. Maybe you have a favorite!
- Straight out of the jar
- On a cracker layered with softened cream cheese
- As an appetizer poured over a block of cream cheese with crackers and a knife for serving on the side
- On a hamburger
- On a hot dog
- On a sausage, bratwurst
- A topping for a deviled egg, or mixed in deviled egg filling
- A dollup on a bowl of beans
- On the side with black-eyed peas and cornbread
- Mixed in potato, egg salad…
- …..
Look at those colors!
A little cream cheese spread on your cracker of choice and topped with this Chow Chow just gives you a “food hug”, or two!
Chow Chow
Ingredients
- 8 c chopped cabbage
- 6 c chopped green tomatoes
- 4 c chopped Vidalia onions
- 2 c chopped green bell peppers
- 1 c chopped red bell peppers
- 2 T finely chopped jalapeno peppers
- 1/4 c Kosher salt
- 3 c granulated sugar
- 4 t celery seed
- 4 t dry mustard(powder)
- 2 t mustard seed
- 2 t turmeric
- 1 t ginger
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 t ground cloves
- 1 t red pepper flakes
- 5 c distilled white vinegar
Instructions
Day 1:
The Prep:
- Slice cabbage into quarters and remove core. Split each quarter into 2 layers to make it easier to slice. Flatten each out and slice into thin strips, then chop across for smaller chunks. Measure as you go and use no more than 8 cups. Save any extra for other purposes.
- Core the green tomatoes and then dice. Measure out 6 cups. (I've used large green ones in one batch and green cherry tomatoes at the end of the season for my second batch..) The cherry tomatoes were not cored, but diced into 8ths or quarters if they were really small.
- Dice 4 cups of Vidalia(sweet onions).
- Slice off top and bottom of bell peppers, making sure seeds and other membranes are removed. I then cut each middle section in half(top-down). Proceed by slicing into small strips, then dice to measure amounts required.
- Cut stem from jalapeno, slice lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut each half into thin strips, then finely dice. Chop further if you want bits smaller. If the jalapenos are small, you may need 2.
The Mix:
- Combine all of the above in a LARGE non-reactive bowl. Toss to evenly distribute contents.
- Sprinkle the Kosher salt over the top and toss once more to distribute salt evenly throughtout the bowl, scooping up from the bottom and from all sides.
- Cover and sit on the couter for a couple of hours, then refrigerate overnight.
Day 2:
Jars:
- Sterilize the jars and lids so they are ready once relish is finished in the pot.
The MIx:
- Drain the veggies well in a large colander; Rinse thoroughly using sink sprayer while you toss from the bottom up with a wooden spoon or spatula to help rinse out the salt completely. Drain well once more.
- Combine sugar with spices in large sauce pot. Stir in the vinegar.
- Bring contents of pot to a boil, then reduce heat to SIMMER and stir to help dissolve sugar for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully add in the veggies. Set heat to HIGH and bring back to a boil.
- Reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook for about 15 minutes until cabbage is tender.
- Take pot off of the heat and fill the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-1/2" of space clear at the top.
- Place lids on top and screw on the rings tightly.
Process:
- Place jars in pot with at least one inch of water above the lids. Bring to a rolling boil and set timer for 10 minutes. Remove jars with a rubberized grip utensil to the counter onto a clean dish towel.
- All jars should "ping" once sealed. The popped up(convex) center will be sucked down slightly into the jar(concave). *Note: If any jars don't ping, try re-processing them. Otherwise, store in the fridge until used.
- Repeat processing with any remaining jars.
- Allow jars to cool off at room temperature for about a day before storing.
