Old-Fashioned Southern Chow Chow Relish

Name: Old-Fashioned Southern Chow Chow Relish
Ingredients: 4.5 lbs green cabbage (finely chopped); 4 cups green tomatoes (riced or finely chopped); 2 red bell peppers (finely chopped); 2 yellow bell peppers (finely chopped); 2 orange bell peppers (finely chopped); 6 green bell peppers (finely chopped); 3 giant sweet onions (finely diced); 8 small cayenne peppers (minced); 1/4 cup Kosher salt; 48 oz apple cider vinegar (6 cups); 2 cups white granulated sugar; 3 tbsp celery seed; 1 tbsp mustard seed; 1 tbsp dry mustard powder; 1 tbsp ground ginger; 1 tbsp turmeric; 1 tbsp pickling spice (tied in a cheesecloth bundle)

The Ultimate Heritage Recipe for End-of-Summer Relish

There is a rich, time-honored tradition in Southern kitchens of preserving the late summer harvest. When the garden is overflowing with cabbage, peppers, and green tomatoes that will not have time to ripen before the frost, making a massive batch of Chow Chow is the perfect solution. This sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy relish is a cornerstone of country cooking and a true labor of love.

If you have been searching for a vintage, generations-old style recipe that perfectly balances savory vegetables with a spiced vinegar brine, this is it. Many commercial relishes are overly sweet or loaded with artificial preservatives. This from-scratch version relies on a classic overnight salting technique to draw out excess moisture, ensuring your vegetables stay beautifully crisp after canning.

The flavor profile is incredibly nostalgic. It features a bright, acidic punch from apple cider vinegar, a beautiful golden color from turmeric, and just a lingering touch of warmth from fresh cayenne peppers. It is the absolute best companion for a steaming bowl of soup beans and cornbread, but you will quickly find yourself spooning it over hot dogs, pulled pork, and scrambled eggs. Grab your canning jars and let’s preserve the harvest!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfectly Balanced Flavor: It is delightfully sweet and tangy without being overly sugary, with just a gentle, lingering warmth from the cayenne.
Massive Yield: This recipe makes roughly 9 pints and 7 half-pints, leaving you with plenty to stock your pantry and gift to neighbors.
Crisp Texture: The overnight salting method guarantees that your cabbage and peppers retain a satisfying crunch.
Garden Saver: It is the absolute best way to utilize an abundance of end-of-season green tomatoes, cabbage, and bell peppers.
Customizable Heat: You can easily scale the cayenne peppers up or down to suit your family’s spice preference.

Ingredients

Cabbage: 4.5 pounds of green cabbage, cored and finely chopped.
Green Tomatoes: 4 cups of green tomatoes, finely chopped or pressed through a potato ricer for a delicate texture.
Bell Peppers: 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 orange, and 6 green bell peppers, all cored, seeded, and finely chopped.
Sweet Onions: 3 giant sweet onions (about softball size), finely diced.
Cayenne Peppers: 8 fresh cayenne peppers (fairly small), minced. (Leave the seeds in for extra warmth, or remove them for a milder relish).
Kosher Salt: ¼ cup of Kosher salt to draw out the moisture.
Apple Cider Vinegar: 48 ounces (6 cups) to create a robust, tangy base for the brine.
White Sugar: 2 cups of granulated sugar to balance the sharp vinegar.
Celery Seed: 3 tablespoons for that classic pickle flavor.
Mustard Seed: 1 tablespoon of whole mustard seeds.
Mustard Powder: 1 tablespoon of dry mustard powder.
Ground Ginger: 1 tablespoon to add a warm, earthy background note.
Turmeric: 1 tablespoon for an authentic, vibrant golden color.
Pickling Spice: 1 tablespoon, tied tightly in a small cheesecloth bundle so it can be removed later.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep and Salt the Vegetables

In a massive mixing bowl or a food-safe container, combine the finely chopped cabbage, riced green tomatoes, all of the bell peppers, sweet onions, and cayenne peppers. Sprinkle the ¼ cup of Kosher salt evenly over the mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to sit overnight.

Step 2: Drain the Vegetable Mixture

The next day, remove the bowl from the refrigerator. The salt will have drawn out a significant amount of liquid. Transfer the vegetables to a large colander (you may need to do this in batches) and drain them thoroughly. Discard the extracted liquid.

Step 3: Prepare the Spiced Brine

In a very large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, combine the apple cider vinegar, white sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, mustard powder, ground ginger, and turmeric. Drop in your cheesecloth bundle of pickling spice. Bring the brine to a simmer over medium heat and let it cook for exactly 15 minutes to allow the spices to infuse.

Step 4: Heat the Relish

Add all of your drained vegetables directly into the simmering brine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and stir continuously. As soon as the liquid in the pot begins to reach a rolling boil, immediately turn off the heat. Do not continue to cook or boil the vegetables, or they will become mushy.

Step 5: Can the Chow Chow

Carefully remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle of pickling spice. Ladle the hot Chow Chow into sterilized pint and half-pint mason jars, leaving ½-inch of headspace at the top. Wipe the rims clean, apply the lids and bands, and process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed on a towel for 24 hours until the lids pop and seal.

Expert Cooking Tips

The Ricer Trick: Pushing your green tomatoes through a potato ricer is an incredible old-school trick. It breaks them down uniformly so they blend perfectly into the relish without leaving large, tough tomato chunks.
Taste for Salt: Before canning, carefully taste a tiny spoonful of the brine and vegetable mix. Because much of the salt washes away during the draining process, you may want to add a tiny pinch more if needed.
Chop Uniformly: Take your time during the prep stage. Uniform, finely diced vegetables look beautiful in the jar and ensure you get a little bit of every flavor in a single bite.
Wear Gloves: When chopping 8 cayenne peppers, always wear food-safe gloves to protect your hands from the lingering capsaicin oils.
Sterilize Everything: Proper canning requires sterile jars, lids, and tools. Run your jars through the dishwasher on the sterilize cycle right before you are ready to fill them.

Variations to Try

Spicy Jalapeño Chow Chow: Swap the cayenne peppers for 6 to 8 fresh jalapeños, or add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the brine for a sharper, more aggressive heat.
Sweeter Profile: If you prefer a relish that leans more toward a sweet bread-and-butter pickle flavor, increase the white sugar to 3 cups.
Tomatillo Swap: If you cannot find hard green tomatoes, firm green tomatillos make an excellent, tart substitute. Just remove the husks and rinse the sticky residue off before chopping.

What to Serve With Chow Chow

This tangy, crunchy condiment is famously served as a topping for a big, steaming bowl of Appalachian-style pinto beans (soup beans) accompanied by a wedge of cast-iron cornbread. It is also phenomenal piled high on grilled hot dogs, smoked bratwursts, or slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches. For a quick snack, try mixing a few spoonfuls into your deviled egg filling or folding it into homemade potato salad for an instant flavor upgrade.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerator

Once a jar of processed Chow Chow has been opened, or if a jar fails to seal properly after the water bath, it must be stored in the refrigerator. Keep the lid on tightly, and it will stay fresh and crunchy for up to 2 months in the fridge.

Freezer

Freezing is not recommended for this recipe. The freezing and thawing process will destroy the crisp cellular structure of the cabbage and peppers, resulting in a soggy, mushy relish. Rely on the water bath canning method for long-term storage!

Reheating

Chow Chow is meant to be served cold directly from the jar, or at room temperature. Do not reheat the relish in the microwave or on the stove, as the heat will turn the vegetables soft and alter the vinegar profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Chow Chow?

Chow Chow is a traditional North American pickled relish, particularly popular in the South and Appalachia. It was historically created as a way to preserve the varied odds and ends of the late summer garden, combining cabbage, green tomatoes, onions, and peppers in a spiced vinegar brine.

Why do I have to salt the vegetables overnight?

Salting is a crucial step in relish and pickle making. The salt acts as a dry brine, drawing the excess water out of the vegetables through osmosis. If you skip this step, the vegetables will release that water into your vinegar brine later, diluting the flavor and making the relish watery and soft.

Can I skip the water bath canning process?

If you skip the water bath, the relish will not be shelf-stable. You can absolutely skip canning if you intend to treat this as a “refrigerator relish,” but you will need to store all 16 jars in your fridge and consume them within a couple of months.

Why put the pickling spice in cheesecloth?

Whole pickling spice contains large, tough ingredients like whole cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Tying them in a cheesecloth bundle allows them to steep their flavors heavily into the brine without leaving hard, inedible spices floating in your finished relish.

How long does canned Chow Chow last?

When properly processed in a boiling water bath and stored in a cool, dark pantry, sealed jars of Chow Chow will maintain their best quality, flavor, and crunch for 12 to 18 months.

Final Thoughts

There is something incredibly deeply satisfying about hearing the “pop” of mason jar lids sealing on your kitchen counter. This old-fashioned Chow Chow captures the absolute best flavors of a late summer garden and preserves them for the cold winter months ahead. Whether you are serving it over a comforting bowl of beans or gifting a jar to a friend, this heritage recipe is guaranteed to become a proud staple in your kitchen.