From Jeff Cox

When I lived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country, farmstands and farmers’ markets always sold chow chow. I realized that this combination of pickled vegetables came down to our time from the days before refrigeration, when farmers put up jars and jars of their summer vegetables to have all during the cold months from October to April.

Today we have farmers’ markets that are bigger and better than ever. And while freezing and drying are options for storing summer’s bounty, chow chow still is one of the tastiest ways to prolong the season of locally-grown, organic vegetables.

It’s actually a pickle to be served as a side dish with sweet meats like roasted pork, or with sausages or grilled burgers. You can double this recipe, and use other vegetables in the mix, especially snap beans, carrots, celery root dice, and the stems of chard cut to ½-inch pieces, but keep the proportion of vegetables to other ingredients the same.

The name chow chow comes from the Chinese word for food—chow. Hence we have the dish called chow mein, and a military mess hall is also called a chow hall. When Chinese in days gone by brought goods to America, their crates would include spices, preserved foods, and other edibles. Food and more food: chow chow.

6 green tomatoes
5 medium onions
3 medium green bell peppers
3 medium red bell peppers
1 head cauliflower
¼ cup kosher salt
8 cups white vinegar
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ Tbl. dry mustard
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. powdered ginger
2 Tbl. whole mustard seeds
1 ½ Tbl. celery seed
1 Tbl. pickling spices

1. Chop the tomatoes, onions, and peppers and place them in a large bowl. Reduce the cauliflower to small (½-inch) florets and add to the bowl. Stir in the salt. Cover and let stand on the kitchen counter overnight. Drain off the liquid.

2. In a large pot, mix the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, turmeric, and ginger. Cut two 10-inch squares from a roll of cheesecloth and place them together to form a double-thickness 10-inch square. Place the mustard seeds, celery seed, and pickling spices in the center and tie up the ends with butcher’s string to form a bag. Add the bag to the liquid in the pot and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and let it return to a simmer, then cook for 30 more minutes.

3. Remove the spice bag and pack hot, sterilized canning jars with vegetables and pot liquid and seal. Process according to jar manufacturer’s instructions (usually 15 minutes at a full boil in a canner). Store jars in a cool, dark place.
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See also Jeff’s Farmers’ Market Tips
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Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook’s Bible and The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide, and numerous other cooking, gardening, and wine books, and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Image Credit: © Vnlit | Dreamstime.com
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