Description: This recipe comes from my mama's collection that I inherited when she went on to her great reward. In the wintertime when we were craving something crisp and fresh tasting, a jar of chow chow was a real treat with a plateful of pinto beans and a hunk of cornbread. Mighty tasty! Ingredients: 1 quart of chopped cabbage 1 pint of chopped onion 1 pint of chopped sweet red pepper 1 pint of chopped green bell pepper 3/4 cup of sugar 4 tablespoons of salt 4 tablespoons of white mustard seed 2 tablespoons of crushed celery seed 1 quart of cider vinegar Directions: First, make yourself up a brine of 1 cup of salt to a gallon of cold water to cover the quartered peppers. Let this set for 1 to 2 hours in a big bowl or pot. Drain these, and make sure you don't have any pepper seeds or the coarse white parts of the peppers when you chop them up. Chop separately and measure out onions, cabbage, and peppers separately. Place them in a crock or pan with all the spices, sugar, and vinegar overnight. The next morning, drain off the vinegar,and save the vinegar. Pack your chow chow in jars, pressing down carefully. Mama always put this in little pint jars. Then pour that vinegar back over the packed chow chow. Take a spoon and mash down your relish to work out any air bubbles. Adjust jar lids, and process (bring to a boil) for 10 minutes. Remove, and wait for the seals to pop . . . indicating that your jars are sealed. Save for a treat in the winter.
Can the celery be left out or replaced by something else as it's one thing that none of us here are very fond of?
