Herbert Raney, (Tarri) 2022 Garden, Mascoutah Illinois
For this year's harvest, I will try a green tomato chow-chow recipe I found online, a condiment from Canada. With the migration of Acadians from the Canadian maritime provinces in 1765 to southern states such as Louisiana and New Mexico, green tomato chow recipes more closely mirror the traditional Canadian version of chow. They add cauliflower, bell peppers, and carrots. I've always used just cabbage, green tomatoes, onions, and garlic, with vinegar, sugar, and turmeric seasoning.
https://www.earthfoodandfire.com/homemade-green-tomato-chow-chow/
If you've never tried green tomato chow chow but love relishes and similarly tangy yet sweet condiments, this recipe is for you! A traditional Canadian sauce most popular in Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, green tomato chow chow (sometimes called tomato chow or green tomato relish) is best served with cold meats, burgers, casseroles, hot dogs, sausages, or fish cakes.
This simple condiment is a great way to preserve any green tomatoes from the garden that may not ripen before the first frost, or simply an easy, foolproof recipe to try your hand at canning and home food preservation!
In the northeastern United States (such as Pennsylvania), green tomato chow chow recipes include a much larger variety of vegetables depending on what's seasonally available. This includes green tomatoes, onions, red pepper, yellow pepper, green cabbage, cauliflower, peas, carrots, and various spices and vinegar. These recipes resemble Piccalilli (a British vegetable pickle) quite closely.
EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
Since we'll be making the traditional Atlantic Canadian version of tomato chow, you only need a handful of ingredients. If you've grown your own tomatoes in the garden this year, you won't have any problems sourcing green tomatoes! If you wish to make the tomato chow slightly spicy, you can add one or two fresh jalapenos to the recipe.
Some recipes call for chopping the vegetables in a food processor, or grinder, though I prefer to keep the green tomatoes chunky as they break down during the cooking process. You'll need the following:
10 lbs whole green tomatoes should be hard and firm, with no imperfections or signs of rot.
2.5 lbs medium white onions - sliced
¼ cup pickling salt
3 cups white sugar (brown sugar can also be used)
2.5 cups pickling vinegar or white vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon pickling spice
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
If you plan on canning this recipe after cooking the tomato chow (as we will be), you'll also need the following:
a large canning pot
a set of canning tongs
a ladle or handled cup to fill jars
oven mitts
8 - 9 500ml mason jars
New pop lids and rings
labels
A NOTE ON CANNING
If you've never canned anything before, this is a great 'intro to canning recipe' as its high acidity, and few ingredients leave little room for error. Before beginning, please ensure you familiarize yourself with the basic process for canning high-acid foods! Knowing how to safely can foods is essential to prevent botulism, and if done correctly, it will allow you to store the green tomato chow in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months! The processed jars also make a great gift during the holidays!
If you don't wish to can this recipe, you can just cool the finished chow and refrigerate it in jars for up to a month.
CANADIAN GREEN TOMATO CHOW CHOW RECIPE
Since this recipe has several lengthy steps, I strongly suggest preparing and salting the onion and tomato mixture the day before cooking and canning. This will make the process easier and allow the salt to correctly draw enough moisture out of the green tomatoes.
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS
1. Begin by sorting through all of your green tomatoes. The size does not matter so much as the quality of the fruits. The tomatoes should be firm and green, with no black spots, signs of disease, or pests. If a few tomatoes are just beginning to turn color, this is ok, but most tomatoes should be green. Remove all leaves, stems, and flower nubs. Wash the selected fruit well to remove any dirt or insects from the garden.
Weigh the final selection of tomatoes to ensure you have 10lbs. Otherwise, adjust the remaining ingredients accordingly to maintain the correct recipe ratio.
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HOMEMADE GREEN TOMATO CHOW CHOW
Published on October 30, 2021 ᛫ Updated on November 12, 2021, by Chef Markus Mueller.
If you've never tried green tomato chow chow, but love relishes and similarly tangy yet sweet condiments, this recipe is for you! A traditional Canadian sauce most popular in Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, green tomato chow chow (sometimes called tomato chow or green tomato relish) is best served with cold meats, burgers, casseroles, hot dogs, sausages, or fish cakes.
This simple condiment is a great way to preserve any green tomatoes from the garden that may not ripen before the first frost, or simply an easy, foolproof recipe to try your hand at canning and home food preservation!
VARIATIONS OF GREEN TOMATO CHOW
The ingredients for green tomato chow recipes can vary depending on where you are in North America. The common factor is that the various recipes contain lots of green tomatoes! After that, the differences become pretty noticeable, resulting in an almost entirely different kind of pickle.
The traditional Atlantic Canadian recipe for green tomato chow is made using only green tomatoes, white onion, mustard seed, cloves, and white vinegar. However, with the migration of Acadians from the Canadian maritime provinces in 1765 to southern states such as Louisiana, and New Mexico, green tomato chow recipes more closely mirror the traditional Canadian version of chow.
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In the northeastern United States (such as Pennsylvania), green tomato chow chow recipes include a much larger variety of vegetables depending on what's seasonally available. This includes green tomatoes, onions, red pepper, yellow pepper, green cabbage, cauliflower, peas, carrots, and various spices and vinegar. These recipes resemble Piccalilli (a British vegetable pickle) quite closely.
EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
Since we'll be making the traditional Atlantic Canadian version of tomato chow, you only need a handful of ingredients. If you've grown your own tomatoes in the garden this year, you won't have any problems sourcing green tomatoes! If you wish to make the tomato chow slightly spicy, you can add one or two fresh jalapenos to the recipe.
Some recipes call for chopping the vegetables in a food processor, or grinder, though I prefer to keep the green tomatoes chunky as they break down during the cooking process. You'll need the following:
10 lbs whole green tomatoes should be hard and firm, with no imperfections or signs of rot.
2.5 lbs medium white onions - sliced
¼ cup pickling salt
3 cups white sugar (brown sugar can also be used)
2.5 cups pickling vinegar or white vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon pickling spice
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
If you plan on canning this recipe after cooking the tomato chow (as we will be), you'll also need the following:
a large canning pot
a set of canning tongs
a label or handled cup to fill jars
oven mitts
8 - 9 500ml mason jars
New pop lids and rings
labels
A NOTE ON CANNING
If you've never canned anything before, this is a great 'intro to canning recipe' as its high acidity, and few ingredients leave little room for error. Before beginning, please ensure you familiarize yourself with the basic process for canning high-acid foods! Knowing how to safely can foods is essential to prevent botulism, and if done correctly, it will allow you to store the green tomato chow in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months! The processed jars also make a great gift during the holidays!
If you don't wish to can this recipe, you can just cool the finished chow and refrigerate it in jars for up to a month.
CANADIAN GREEN TOMATO CHOW CHOW RECIPE
Since this recipe has several lengthy steps, I strongly suggest preparing and salting the onion and tomato mixture the day before cooking and canning. This will make the process easier and allow the salt to correctly draw enough moisture out of the green tomatoes.
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS
1. Begin by sorting through all of your green tomatoes. The size does not matter so much as the quality of the fruits. The tomatoes should be firm and green, with no black spots, signs of disease, or pests. If a few tomatoes are just beginning to turn color, this is ok, but most tomatoes should be green. Remove all leaves, stems, and flower nubs. Wash the selected fruit well to remove any dirt or insects from the garden.
Green tomatoes being washed in a sink full of water
cleaned green tomatoes in three stainless steel bowls
Weigh the final selection of tomatoes to ensure you have 10lbs. Otherwise, adjust the remaining ingredients accordingly to maintain the correct recipe ratio.
2. Once the tomatoes are washed, cut the green tomatoes into small bite-sized chunks. As my green tomatoes were a mix of cherry tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes, I quartered most of them and cut the larger ones to match. A uniform size is essential to ensure the even cooking of all vegetables.
Once the tomatoes are chopped, peel and slice the white onion. Cut the onion slices to be a little smaller than the tomato.
3. Mix the sliced onions and chopped green tomatoes together in a large bowl or pot. Add the pickling salt, and mix well. Cover the pot/bowl and refrigerate the salted vegetables for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Salting the vegetables helps draw out moisture from the tomatoes while also seasoning the tomato mixture.
COOKING THE GREEN TOMATO CHOW CHOW
4. Once the salted vegetables have sat for 6 to 8 hours, pour off any resulting brine liquid from the pot/bowl and discard it. Drain well to prevent the end result from being too salty. A large colander works well for this.
5. Mix the 2.5 cups of vinegar with the 3 cups white sugar in a small saucepan. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the remaining white wine vinegar and spices to the sugar/ vinegar mix to create the pickling liquid.
mixing vinegar, sugar, and various spices in a small metal bowl with a whisk
6. Transfer the drained onion and tomato mixture to a large pot, add the pickling liquid to the pot, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Once the pot starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring periodically, and simmer the tomato chow for 1.5 - 2 hours. During the last half hour of cooking, stir the pot more frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom.
Green tomato chow mixture just starting to cook on the stove in a steel pot green tomato chow halfway into the cooking process green tomato chow when it's finished cooking.
CANNING THE GREEN TOMATO CHOW
7. When the green tomato chow is simmering on the stove, assemble, wash, and prepare all your canning equipment.
This includes: washing all equipment, pots, and jars/lids in hot soapy water, heating the washed snap lids and rings for at least 10 minutes, and boiling the washed glass jars for 10 minutes before filling in a large canning pot (keep jars and lids in hot water until ready to fill), setting out a dishcloth and rack on which the processed jars can cool, ensuring you have all tongs, ladles, stir spoons, and funnels you plan on using adequately washed and dried.
Once everything is ready, read over the basic steps of hot water bath canning to familiarize yourself with the process and clear up any lingering questions. For this recipe, we followed the USDA Home canning guidelines for processing times and headspace requirements described in Guide 6: Preparing and canning fermented and pickled vegetables.
8. Once the green tomato chow has simmered for about 2 hours and has slightly thickened in consistency, it's time to start canning! The tomatoes and onions should be fully translucent at this point.
Use your canning tongs to carefully remove a glass jar from the hot water (one at a time). Gently pour the water back into the pot, then fill the hot glass jar with the burning green tomato chow. Repeat this process until all glass jars are filled, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top. Work carefully yet quickly to prevent the tomato chow and pots from cooling too much.
Once all the jars are filled, use a clean, dampened cloth to wipe all the jar rims, removing any spilled chow and leaving a clean surface for the flat lids to seal.
Bring the canning pot to a roiling boil, and process the green tomato chow-chow for 5 minutes at altitudes below 1000ft, 10 minutes for measurements between 1000ft -6000ft, and 15 minutes for altitudes above 6000ft. Start the time only when the pot is at a rolling boil.
COOLING AND STORING
9. Once the green tomato chow chow has been processed for the proper time as indicated above, turn off the pot of water and let the jars sit until the water has stopped boiling about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the jars one at a time with your canning tongs, and place them on a dishtowel or rack to cool for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature. You should hear the lids pop as the jars cool down, indicating an air-tight seal.
Once fully cooled and all lids have 'popped,' remove the metal ring from the jars and ensure all lids have adequately sealed. Sealed lids will slightly curve downwards and won't move or make a clicking sound when pressed. Gently wipe the jars with a clean damp towel, and label the green tomato chow with the processing date. Leave the twist rings removed for long-term storage to prevent the lids from rusting. Store in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.
Any jars that did not correctly seal should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed promptly.
