Cooky Cat

Chow Chow

It's Whatever You Want It To Be

Here's the recipe: 

[Makes about 2 Quarts, tightly packed.]

Ingredients ...

Medium sized Cabbage 

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 Large Onion, 

2 Green Tomatoes or 4 large Tomatillos

Kosher Salt 2 tbsp.

Brine ... 

Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Cup

Pure Water 2 Cups

Sugar 1 Cup (Brown, White, in combination)

Yellow Mustard Seeds, 1+ tbsp.

Celery Seeds, 1 tsp.

Mustard Powder, 2 tsp.

Turmeric, 1 tsp.

Ground Black Pepper, 1tsp.

Preparation ...

Thin slice vegetables, then coarse chop. (Small enough to be a garnish on a hot dog.)

Toss with 2 tbsp. Kosher Salt.

Let stand overnight, refrigerated. (Room temperature seems to be acceptable as well; maybe starts a little fermentation.)

Drain and rinse. (Some recipes don't specify the rinse, but it does tone down the saltiness if you do.)

Combine Brine ingredients, bring to boil.

Low cook Vegetables in Brine until just tender (10-15 minutes)

Options ... 

Go and search around other Chow Chow recipes. Some only have a minimum amount of Cabbage proportionally. Slivered Carrot, Green Bell Peppers would be obvious options. Our brine ratio 1 Vinegar : 2 Water* is sour enough for us. Adjust yours to taste.

Cook to your own taste. Seems Chow Chow is what ever you want it to be.

* Brine Ratio: Vinegar:Water — 1:2 
This has proved to be an ideal ratio for anything you might want to brine for "Refrigerator Pickles". Careful, a lot of recipes call for vinegar full strength. Pucker up if you do.