A gorgeous and vibrant spiced mustard relish made with green tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, celery and onions. My mother used to make this recipe when I was a child growing up in Cape Breton.
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Green tomatoes, can you eat them?
Green tomatoes are not something I’ve ever seen available to buy in supermarkets. If you’ve ever grown your own, you’ll know that sometimes there’s an abundance of these delicious little morsels, especially at the end of the growing season when they weather begins to turn. They’re an incredibly versatile ingredient – try them fried in a cornmeal batter and dipped in plenty of soured cream, or make them into a green tomato relish, also known as chow chow.
What do green tomatoes taste like?
Green tomatoes contain a higher concentration of solanina, which gives them an acidic, bitter taste. This makes them more difficult to digest than their ripened red counterparts,, but cooking them neutralises this toxin.
They make a fantastic green tomato relish, aka chow chow or tomato chow chow.
What is chow chow?
Chow chow is a green tomato relish, very similar to British piccalilli. It’s a gorgeous and vibrant spiced mustard pickle made with green tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, celery and onions. It’s a popular condiment on the East Coast of Canada, where I grew up.
This is the recipe my mother used to make when I was a child.
Jump to the printable recipe card.
What you’ll need for this recipe
- 2.5 lbs green tomatoes
- 6 small cucumbers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 bunch celery
- 2 lbs pearl onions
- 1 lb green beans
- 3/4 cup salt
- 2 quarts apple cider vinegar
- 2.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp celery seed
- 3 tbsp dry mustard
- 4 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp whole allspice berries
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 5 tbsp plain flour
How to make it
- Chop the green tomatoes, cucumber (leave it unpeeled), peppers, cauliflower and celery into 1/4-inch dice and pop them into a large bowl. Please do not underestimate the time it’ll take you to do this; prepare to spend a few hours leisurely chopping! Pop on some good music, a podcast or an audiobook and get chopping!
- Add the whole pearl onions and green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Dissolve the salt in 3 quarts of boiling water and pour over the top of all the vegetables. Leave to soak for one hour.
- Drain, rinse well in cold water and drain again.
- Mix the apple cider vinegar, sugar and all the spices in a large stock pot and heat to the boiling point.
- Add the vegetables and simmer gently until tender. Stir often.
- Dissolve the flour in some apple cider vinegar and add to the pot, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly.
- Spoon into hot, sterilised jars, leaving 1/8-inch room headspace, and seal.
What do you serve green tomato relish with?
Green tomato relish is best served with cold meats, burgers, casseroles, hot dogs, sausages or fish cakes.
In the southern USA it’s often served with pinto beans and ham.
Me, I love great spoonfuls of it served with pork chops and mashed potatoes.
How to sterilise jars for preserving
- Preheat your oven to 160 °C/ gas mark 3.
- Wash your jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Rinse well and place, still wet, onto a clean baking tray.
- Pop the baking tray into the oven for ten minutes.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Green Tomato Relish Chow Chow Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs green tomatoes
- 6 small cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 bunch celery
- 2 lbs small white onions
- 1 lb green beans
- 3/4 cup salt
- 2 quarts apple cider vinegar
- 2.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp celery seed
- 3 tbsp dry mustard powder
- 4 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp whole allspice berries
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 5 tbsp plain flour
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Equipment
Instructions
- Cut 2.5 lbs green tomatoes, 6 small cucumber, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 small cauliflower and 1 bunch celery into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Add 2 lbs small white onions and 1 lb green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths.
- Cover with 3 quarts of boiling water and 3/4 cup salt and leave to stand for one hour.
- Drain and rinse well in cold water and then drain again.
- Mix 2 quarts apple cider vinegar, 2.5 cups granulated sugar, 2 tbsp celery seed, 3 tbsp dry mustard powder, 4 tbsp ground turmeric, 1 tbsp whole allspice berries, 1 tbsp whole peppercorns1 tbsp whole cloves in a large pot and heat to the boiling point.
- Add the vegetables and cook mixture until tender, stirring frequently.
- Dissolve 5 tbsp plain flour in a little bit of cider vinegar and add to the pot, stirring constantly until it thickens.
- Spoon into hot sterilised jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace and seal.
Pumpkin Loaf
Looking at my huge bowl of semi-ripened tomatoes I said to hubby, ‘I’m sure there are recipes for things to make with green tomatoes’ and ta da! Thank you! Never heard of chow chow before.
This is such a gorgeous recipe that seems versatile and full of flavour. Maybe I will make them as Christmas gifts? X
With this combination of spice, this vege pickle sounds very flavoursome to me 😀
How very interesting this is! I love the sound of your ‘Chow Chow’. Bet it’s delicious with a thick slice of salty ham. YUM. x
I do hope you manage to figure out the fried green tomatoes, Elizabeth! They’ve always been something I’ve wanted to try… And I’m intrigued by the use of green tomatoes in this chow chow – I have never seen or tried something quite like this before!
I love fried green tomatoes but can never get my hands on any living in a condo. I should ask at the farmers market if anyone would bring them in.
How do you make yours? I bet someone would be happy to bring them in if you asked. 🙂
Thank you very much for entering this delicious recipe into TTT!
Thanks 🙂