Have you ever found yourself with an abundance of green tomatoes from your garden or local farmer's market, unsure of what to do with them? Look no further, because in this article we will dive into the world of Green Tomato Chow Chow – a tangy and versatile Southern relish that will have your taste buds singing.
With a history dating back to the 1800s and its roots in Southern cuisine, this condiment has stood the test of time and continues to be a beloved staple in many kitchens.
Let's dig in and explore the world of Green Tomato Chow Chow.
I am not a fan of fried green tomatoes. Great book, good movie, but the actual dish is not one of my favorites.
And if you have pounds of green tomatoes you need other ideas to use them up.
This recipe is courtesy of my Great Aunt Wanda. Mom pared down her the original recipe that called for 10 pounds of tomatoes. I'm sure Aunt Wanda would can it to share with family and friends and eat throughout the winter.
If you have more than 1 pound of tomatoes, increase the recipe and can it in pint or quart jars. If you've never canned before read these water bath canning instructions from Ball.
How to enjoy Green Tomato Chow Chow
One of the favorite ways to serve chow chow in the South is with some cooked beans and cornbread.
Chow Chow is basically a pickle relish so use it where you would use that. Put it on burgers, hot dogs or sandwiches. Mix it in tuna salad. Top vegetables, baked or mashed potatoes.
Or try some fusion ideas and serve it with some curry (try this fish or chicken curry recipe) or your charcuterie or cheese board.
How to ripen green tomatoes
This recipe is for unripe tomatoes. If you grow tomatoes, you will probably have some tomatoes that will not have time to ripen before the weather cools.
If you want to try ripening them instead of making this recipe, here are a few tried and true methods for getting them to ripen:
- keep them on the vine and hang them upside down in a warm dark place inside to ripen (like a closet or kitchen cabinet).
- put them in a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple to ripen
- if they have a little color, and you have a window that gets plenty of light, spread them out on the sill.
Ingredients for Green Tomato Chow Chow
The ingredients are pretty simple, with the hard to find ingredient being the green tomatoes. If you do not have any unripened tomatoes others suggest tomatillos as a substitute.
- green unripened tomatoes
- green cabbage
- green and red (or orange or yellow) bell peppers
- yellow onion
- granulated sugar
- distilled or apple cider vinegar
- ground mustard (not prepared mustard, the dry powder stuff in the spice aisle)
- salt and pepper
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound green tomatoes
- 1 pound green cabbage
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- ½ medium red pepper
- ½ small onion
- 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¾ cups water
- 1 ½ tablespoon distilled white or cider vinegar
- dash black pepper
Instructions
- Coarsely chop tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and onion. Mix and divide in half.1 pound green tomatoes, 1 pound green cabbage, 1 medium green bell pepper, ½ medium red pepper, ½ small onion
- In a food processor, process about half of the vegetables until very finely chopped. Add it to a large pot.
- Finely chop second half of mixture and mix with processed portion in large pot.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.1 ½ tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground mustard, ¾ cups water, 1 ½ tablespoon distilled white or cider vinegar, dash black pepper
- Cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Ladle into 1 quart glass jar and store in refrigerator or process in a water bath canner.
Notes
Sound fabulous? Share it!
more green tomato recipes
Until next time, happy eating
~Audrey
Amy
I am going to have some small green tomatoes that do not have a chance to ripen. Thank you for sharing this post and for hosting the party.
Audrey
I got some from a friend that knew I wanted to make this recipe so she plucked them for me.
Marilyn
Thank you for hosting. I love sharing with your readers and always find inspiration here. Have a blessed week! #OverTheMoon #WWBlogHop #ThursdayFavoriteThings
Delightful Repast
Audrey, this is just the sort of thing my Southern daddy liked. Though he's no longer with us, I think I'll make this recipe in his honor. #HappinessIsHomemade ~ Jean
ARV
Food is such an important part of our memories, isn't it? I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Erin
Hi, Audrey,
This was a saving grace for using up end-of-season tomatoes. We would like to can this next season. How long does the chow chow need to process in the water bath canner?
Thank you!
Audrey
I checked a few places I trust (The Spruce Eats and Fresh Preserving) and both processes pint jars for 10 minutes. If you do half pint, I'd still go 10 minutes. For quart jars, 15 minutes.