Carrie and Sherre made Old Fashioned Vegetable Relish (Chow-Chow) and gave tips on canning.
CARRIE’S OLD FASHIONED VEGETABLE RELISH (CHOW-CHOW)
12 medium onions (4 cups finely chopped)
1 medium head cabbage (4 cups finely chopped)
10 green tomatoes (4 cups finely chopped)
12 green peppers
6 sweet red peppers
6 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cups apple cider vinegar (do NOT use distilled)
2 cups water
½ cup salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop the vegetables finely using a course blade knife. Place all of them in a large bowl.
2. Pour ½ cup Morton’s salt over the veggie mix to create a brine mix.
3. Place the brine mix of veggies in a clean linen sack. (You can use a clean, new cotton pillow case, just make sure it is free of strings or any foreign objects).
4. Using a string, hang the sack containing the brine mix over the large bowl to drain overnight.
5. Detach the string from the sack. Do not remove the veggies from the sack though. You will now rinse and drain the brine mix from the veggies with them remaining inside the sack. Do this 2-3 times to make sure you get the salt out.
6. Next, place your veggie mix into a large pot. Add all of the ingredients above (EXCEPT THE SALT. REMEMBER YOU USED THAT FOR THE BRINE PREP)
7. Stir it altogether and heat to boiling. Then simmer for 3 minutes.
CANNING JARS
This will make about 8 pints of relish. Place 8 mason jars with metal lids and caps in a pot and fill with water just at the level before it covers the jars. Bring to a boil. Once the relish has boiled and simmered. You can taste a little to make sure it’s not too sweet (if so add a dash of apple cider vinegar). Next using tongs and a pot holder to avoid burning your hands while handling the jars—spoon the relish into the jar, just below the screw mark level. Place the lid and caps on and screw it on just before it’s completely tight. (Do not tighten all the way). You will wait until the lid “pops,” then you can tighten the cap completely and store until ready to serve.
