When a neighbour gives you a big bucket of green tomatoes...
I think this must be an East Coast secret or at least one specific to the Maritimes or Atlantic Canada...
Finding recipe on line for our version of Chow Chow was next to impossible.
Most people down here will tell you their Chow recipe goes like this:
Cut up green tomatoes and onions
Add salt, let sit over night.
Drain.
Add vinegar, pickling spices, sugar.
Cook and jar.
Basic, simple and delicious!
One a bit more specific yet equally delicious would go like this:
Nova Scotia Chow Chow
Slice 2.5 kg (5 1/2 lbs) green tomatoes
Slice 680 g (1 1/2 lbs) onions
75 mL (1/3 cup) coarse pickling salt
Layer tomatoes with onion and salt in large pot.
Cover and let stand on the counter overnight.
Drain well.
Add remaining ingredients.
750 mL (3 1/2 cups) granulated white sugar
85mL (4 1/2 tbsp) mixed pickling spice, tied in double layer of cheesecloth
450 mL (2 cups) white pickling vinegar
Vinegar should just be barely visible, too much will make excessive juice.
I also sprinkled 25ml of mustard seed over the other ingredients this is optional.
Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
More sugar can be added for taste.
Sterilized jars.
Heat Snap Lids to soften sealing compound.
Pour the hot Chow Chow into hot sterilized jars, fill to with in 1cm (1/2 in) of top.
Seal with sterilized snap lids and rings.
Process (boil) filled jars, in a pot of boiling water – 10 minutes.
Label and store jars in a cool, dark place.
Makes 4 pints.
If you make either recipe you will get several jars of a delicious condiment. Down here Chow Chow is served with everything!
All 24 jars of Chow Chow I made have gone to good homes. Um... well, except for the few I kept for myself.
If you would like to taste this treat yet don't want to make a batch you can order it from a member of Taste of Nova Scotia
When the local markets, roadside stands, and gardens are bursting with the fall harvest I like to make a few jams, jellies or pickles.
My two favourite books on small batch canning are:
Put a Lid on It!: Small-Batch Preserving for Every Season
Author: Ellie Topp, Margaret Howard
ISBN: 0-7715-7452-5
More Put a Lid on It!: Small-Patch Preserving Year Round
Author: Ellie Topp, Margaret Howard
ISBN: 0-7715-7625-0
Chowing down on the East Coast.