Recipe Collection

Chow Chow MY Way

Be sure to adjust your measurements to the amount you want to make. I do not have precise measurements for this, I just "eyeball" it.

What you will need:

One large head of green cabbage. Shredded
one smaller head of purple cabbage. shredded
about a dozen tomatillos cut into quarters if they are small, the large ones I cut into smaller wedges.
one small jar of minced garlic
three large cans of diced peeled tomatoes with the juice
About one and a half cups of vinegar. You can use any kind you like, I like apple cider kind.
Four finely diced cucumbers
Four bell peppers thinly slivered
4-5 white or yellow onions diced about the same size as the cucumbers
three or four teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
one stick of butter
mustard seeds
black peppercorns lightly cracked
about a dozen Thai red chili peppers OR you can use serrano peppers. Leave whole.

In a very large pot, bring about 9 cups of water to a boil. Add in the sugar, salt, vinegar, and slowly add in the cabbages. You want to cook them just until they get tender but still have a bit of firmness to them. Do not overcook it! Set it aside. Next, in a skillet, melt the butter and add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Let cook just until the onions become translucent, then add the tomatillos. Let them cook down until soft, then add the garlic, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns. Remove from the stove. Now, strain the cabbage from the pot, but keep all the juice!

In a very large bowl you're going to put the cabbages, then add all the contents of the skillet. Also, add the cucumbers and mix kinda gently. Now your going to have your jars ready and fill the jars almost to the top with the mixture, but leave a little room for the juice, don't pack the jars too full. Also, you need to poke one or two hot peppers into the jar as well. Then, carefully fill the jars with the hot liquid from your pot. Be sure to leave room for it to seal properly. Place your jars in a cool, dark place for several weeks...but months is even better. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

An alternative to putting in jars: recently, I learned I can put this mixture into freezer bags and freeze it rather than jar it. If you have extra room in the freezer, you might try this.