Put ‘Em Up! (Storey Publishing, 2010) offers your grandma’s traditional home-canning methods with a modern twist. Flavors are brighter, batch sizes are more flexible and up-to-date methods make the process safer and easier. An extensive techniques section allows you to think outside the box and learn a variety of food preservation methods such as freezing, drying and pickling. Create time-honored traditions such as apple butter to inventive new favorites such as figs in honey syrup or fennel confit. Even beginners who’ve never canned before can easily pick up preserving skills from this vibrant guide to canning. Granny’s Chow-Chow Relish Recipe is perfect for putting up those leftover odds and ends from your vegetable garden.
You can purchase this book from the GRIT store: Put ‘Em Up!
Granny’s Chow-Chow Relish Recipe
Makes about 5 pints
My granny is a Southern woman — the genuine article — who was raised putting up everything the family needed to get them through the winter. We got to talking about her canning, and she said this was one of her favorite recipes. When I asked her what was in it, she said, “Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that until it tastes right.” Typical Granny recipe.
Ingredients
4 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons ground allspice
Red pepper flakes to taste
4 cups finely chopped cabbage, from one small head
2 pounds green tomatoes, finely chopped
1 pound onions, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
Prepare
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, and red pepper flakes in a large nonreactive stockpot, and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, and return to a boil, stirring to ensure that all the ingredients have heated through.
Preserve
Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Can: Use the boiling-water method. Ladle into clean, hot pint canning jars, covering the relish by 1/4 inch with liquid from the stockpot. Leave 1/4 inch of headspace between the top of the liquid and the lid. Release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
More from Put ‘Em Up!:
Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles Recipe
Pickled Spicy Carrots Recipe
Pickled Beets Recipe with Dill
Learn the Boiling Water-Bath Canning Method for Preserving Food
Granny’s Chow-Chow Relish Recipe excerpted from Put ‘Em Up! A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling © by Sherri Brooks Vinton, used with permission from Storey Publishing, 2010. Buy this book from our store: Put ‘Em Up!.
Also, check out Sherri’s new book, Put ‘Em Up! Fruit, available from Storey Publishing in April 2012.
