Recipe: Piccalilli and Chow Chow

There are several versions of this.

PICCALILLI

6 cups chopped green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet red peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped green peppers
2 1/4 cups chopped onions
7 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
3 tbsp whole mixed pickling spice
4 1/2 cups vinegar (5 percent)
3 cups brown sugar

Yield: 9 half-pints

Wash, chop, and combine vegetables with 1/2 cup salt. Cover with hot water and let stand 12 hours. Drain and press in a clean white cloth to remove all possible liquid. Tie spices loosely in a spice bag and add to combined vinegar and brown sugar and heat to a boil in a sauce pan. Add vegetables and boil gently 30 minutes or until the volume of the mixture is reduced by one-half. Re-move spice bag. Fill hot sterile jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Process pints and half pints 5 min.

If you want to skip the boiling of the jars to sterilize first, then process 10 min. using clean, hot jars.

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CHOW CHOW

4 quarts green tomatoes
1 large head of cabbage
10 medium onions
5 medium green peppers
7 medium sweet red peppers
1/2 cup salt
15 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
3 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 tablespoon turmeric
4 tablespoons mustard seeds
3 tablespoons celery seed
2 tablespoons pickling spice

Chop all vegetables; combine in a large kettle. Stir in salt; let stand at room temperature overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain.

Combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, ginger, and turmeric in a large kettle. Put mustard seed, celery seed, and pickling spices in a 6-inch square of cheesecloth or cheesecloth bag.

Tie ends or gather and tie string and add to the kettle. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add vegetables and return to simmer for 30 minutes longer. Discard spice bag. Spoon chow-chow into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner, or 20 minutes for altitiudes of 1001 to 6,000 feet. Over 6,000 feet, process for 25 minutes.