Tangy Chow Chow Pickles
From Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite dishes from around the world
Makes 12 cups
I’m all about tart. Homemade pickles are an awesome way to get my hit of sour crunch. And you can pickle just about anything. I love my veggie blends below, but you can mix it up with your favorite seasonal produce too. As a bonus, the acid helps preserve the vegetables, though you should still follow safe canning guidelines when jarring these.
My aunt Bessie, my daddy’s sister, used to make this every fall in Nashville. It was her tradition to take everything from her garden and turn it into this mix. I love the different colors here and hope you can find a range of beauties in your garden or local farmers’ markets for this goes-with-everything pickle relish. Me? I eat it by the spoonful and I love it on hot dogs!
4 cups finely chopped cabbage
3 cups diced green tomatoes
2 1/2 cups diced bell peppers, preferably a mix of colors
2 1/2 cups diced white onions
1/2 cup minced jalapeno chiles
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, onions, chiles, and salt well with your hands. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Drain in a colander, rinse, and drain again.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric until the sugar dissolves. You can let the mixture sit as long as the vegetables do.
3. When the veg mix is ready, bring the vinegar to a boil. Add the vegetables, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. You want to keep the crunch. Ladle the mixture into sterilized canning jars and jar properly or refrigerate for up to 3 months. You can serve it after a day or two.
To safely and properly pickle, be sure to check out the USDA guidelines and follow them carefully.
Want to do some more canning? Try my Roasted Plum Tomato Jam.
#summer #CarlaHall #recipes #cooking #canning #vegan #vegetarian #hearthealthy #sidedish