Chowchow

cabbage tomato onion bell pepper vinegar mustard garlic

Jocelyn Jackson

Makes about 2 quarts

Source

Ingredients

1 small green cabbage (about 2 lb.), chopped into ½" pieces (about 10 cups)

2 large green tomatoes, cut into ½" pieces

1 large sweet onion, cut into ½" pieces

1 large green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into ½" pieces

1 large red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into ½" pieces

2 Tbsp. pickling salt or 3 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds

1½ cups apple cider vinegar

1½ cups distilled white vinegar

2 cups cane sugar (such as Wholesome) or raw sugar

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tsp. ground turmeric

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method

Toss cabbage, green tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, and salt in a large bowl until all of the vegetables are coated in salt (this will help them release some water). Cover and chill at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Drain vegetables.

Toast mustard seeds in a large pot over medium-high heat, shaking pan, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Add both vinegars, sugar, mustard, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.

Add garlic and drained vegetables to pickling liquid and mix well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors have melded and liquid is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. The cabbage and green tomatoes should still have a bit of a crunch. Let cool (this will take about 1 hour).

Using a slotted spoon, divide chowchow among sterilized glass jars of choice and spoon pickling liquid over (chowchow should be submerged and there should be about ½" space at the top of each jar. Cover and chill.

Do ahead: Chowchow can be made 1 month ahead. Keep chilled. If you’d like to keep it longer, you can use the water bath boiling technique to make the jarred chowchow shelf stable.