American · Appalachian · sauce/condiment

Chow Chow (End-of-Garden Relish)

Chow Chow (End-of-Garden Relish) reads sourness 6.5, sweetness 5.8 and salinity 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American · Appalachian sauce/condiment, about 349 hr 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.5 · Sweetness 5.8 · Salinity 4.9 · Heat 3.7 · Allium 3.7 · Umami 2.8 · Earthy 2.2 · Fruity 1.9 · Citrus 1.9 · Funk & Ferment 1.8 · Herbaceous 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Bitterness 1.5 · Richness 0.9 · Floral 0.9

What's in it (13)

Time & effort: about 349 hr 35 min (1 hr 25 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 59.5 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 13.2 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. Chow chow is what a mountain garden becomes when frost is forecast: the green tomatoes that will never ripen, the last cabbage, whatever peppers are left. It is a preservation recipe first and a condiment second, and it exists because a pint jar of it in January puts acid and crunch next to a bowl of soup beans that would otherwise be soft and flat all the way through. Every family's proportions differ and every family's is correct.
  2. Chop everything by hand to roughly 5 mm dice. A food processor turns it to slush and you lose the crunch, which is half the reason it is on the table.
  3. Toss the chopped tomatoes, cabbage, onions, both bell peppers and the hot chiles with the pickling salt in a large non-reactive bowl or crock. Cover and leave at cool room temperature 12 hours, or overnight. The salt will pull out an astonishing amount of water — a litre or more — and that dehydration is what keeps the finished relish crisp rather than limp.
  4. Tip the vegetables into a colander, drain thoroughly, and rinse under cold water twice to take off the surface salt. Press out as much liquid as you can with your hands.
  5. Bring the cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric and allspice to a boil in a large non-reactive pot, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and boil 5 minutes so the spices open up.
  6. Add the drained vegetables, return to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are translucent at the edges but still have bite and the liquid has thickened slightly.
  7. Pack boiling hot into sterilised half-litre jars, leaving 1 cm headspace, seal, and process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes. Let the sealed jars stand at least 2 weeks before opening — the flavours are harsh and separate at first and only marry with time.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.