Chow Chow Relish

Prepare the ingredients for chopping: Stem the tomatoes, coring if needed, and quarter. Peel the onions and cut them all into quarters. Stem and seed the peppers and quarter. Core the cabbage, quarter, and set aside.

Chop the vegetables: Use the chopping blade on a food processor or a hand-crank food mill to chop each vegetable into fine pieces. (With a food processor, you’ll need to work in batches, taking care not to overfill the work bowl.) You want fine, small pieces but not gazpacho, so be careful not to pulverize or liquefy. Place in a large non-reactive bowl or pot.

Salt and chill: Once all the vegetables are chopped, sprinkle the salt over the top. Using clean hands, mix everything thoroughly, making sure to mix all the vegetables and reach the bottom of the bowl.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Don’t skip this step—it yields better flavor and texture.

Drain the vegetables: Remove the chopped vegetables from the refrigerator, place in a colander, and drain, pressing lightly on the mixture with the back of a spoon. Do not rinse. Set aside.

Prepare for canning: If you want to can your chow chow for a shelf-stable condiment, gather equipment for water bath canning while the vegetables are chilling.  Create a jar station by spreading out a clean kitchen towel on the counter and set out jar lifters and a canning funnel. Clean new jar lids and rings in hot soapy water.

Sterilize the jars: Place clean jars on a canning rack in a pot and cover by at least 1 inch of hot water. Bring to a boil and sterilize the jars by boiling for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a low simmer until you’re ready to fill the jars.

Prepare the brine: In a large non-reactive pot, add the vinegar, sugar, mustard, and dried celery and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a strong simmer, cover, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Cook the relish and can: Add the chopped vegetables to the vinegar mixture, stir, and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes and stir often, adjusting the heat as necessary to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Once the vegetables are almost done cooking, carefully lift each sterilized jar out of the pot and dump the hot water back into the pot. Set them upright on the clean kitchen towel. Remove the relish from heat and begin filling the hot jars with the chow chow, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar (about the width of the lip and jar screw threads). Carefully wipe each jar lip with a clean, dry towel or paper towel, then top with a clean lid and screw on the band so it is finger tight. Repeat.

Process the chow chow: Use a jar lifter to carefully lower the jars onto the rack, adding more hot water if needed so there’s at least 1 inch of water above the top of each jar. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with the jar lifter and set the jars on a cooling rack or another heat-resistant surface to cool. After cooling to room temperature, tap the lids firmly. If they make a dull thump, they’re sealed. Store unopened jars of chow chow relish in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Store opened jars in the fridge and use within 4 months of opening. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!