It is said that chow chow is a Chinese dish. If that is so, they must have gotten it from the American South, because it is "old as the hills" down there! Most of us, with rural roots somewhere in our recent ancestry, have heard of and eaten chow chow.
It is defined in the dictionary as (a) a Chinese preserve of fruits, peels, and ginger, (b) a relish consisting of chopped vegetables pickled in mustard. There seem to be quite a number of recipe variations of chow chow. Google: "Chow Chow--Green Tomato Relish" and you will find these ingredients, which will give you an idea of the taste and consistency: green tomatoes, chopped cabbage, onions, red and green bell peppers, pickling salt, cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, garlic, celery seeds, and optional red pepper flakes.
YUM--YUM!! Mix all that and make a big pot of pinto beans or butter beans with ham chunks, pour your chow chow over a bowl of that and make brown crispy corn bread muffins, and my friends, you have a feast! One writer suggests: "great with sausages, pork, ham, or serve on hot dogs or hamburgers."
There may be a slight problem if you choose to make your own chow chow: green tomatoes might be hard to find in off season. (Wait! Aren't they the ONLY kind you can find then?! LOL, Just kidding.) Another thing is , the process seems a litlle daunting to me, a mere "sous chef" at best, who doesn't SIFT flour, SEPARATE eggs, or CLARIFY butter.
At any rate, NOT TO WORRY, we don't have to make our own chow chow! Mil has discovered a marvelous company, BLUE RIDGE JAMS, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, near Asheville, N.C. This company offers in its catalog or on it's web site, eight different chow chow selections. Here they are according to "heat" levels:
Vidalia Onion Chow Chow
Mild Chow Chow
Hot Chow Chow
Jalapeño Chow Chow
Hotter n' Heck Chow Chow
Five Pepper Chow Chow
Flaming Hot Chow Chow
Butt Kicking Chow Chow
We have ordered three of these. Two are awaiting in the shelf--Vidalia and Mild. We are almost through the Jalapeño and it is good, and plenty hot!! We even put some on green beans, Wow!
Now, here is an interesting thing--right under the chow chows they list about 15 different relishes which might be kind of cousins to the chows. I will list several: Artichoke Relish, Habanero Pepper Relish, Pear Relish, Sweet Pepper Relish, and Zucchini Relish.
Before I leave Blue Ridge Jams, let me say that this company "has been making the finest gourmet food products in the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1961." They are handmade in small batches, hand-stirred, and I visualize clean stainless steel bowls, etc. Here are some more of their amazing products: jellies, jams, preserves, conserves, gourmet pepper jellies, habanero pepper jellies, brandy preserves and wine jellies, fruit butter, fruit syrup, and pie fillings.
You can access their web site, phone them for a nice free catalog, or write them. Phone 828-776-7087.
http://www.blueridgejams.com/ (I have no connection with them)
In writing about farm events such as dispatching chickens, quilting, plowing, drinking cold water from a windmill, eating watermelons in the field, I receive a lot of comments from readers. All these things above evoke fond memories of a simpler time---a happy time---maybe when "all the world was young." I hope this Chow Chow post will be no exception.
by Mil, 2-1-12
Sent from my iPad
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