HOMEMADE CHOW CHOW OR HOT PEPPER RELISH

1 ½ lbs. ground jalepeno peppers
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups shredded cabbage and/or ground green tomatoes
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. canning and pickling salt
1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. celery seed
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients in a large non-reactive pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Place in hot, clean jars and seal. Process filled jars in a hot water canner for 15 minutes. Check seals and if any fail to seal, refrigerate and use first.

18 comments:

Letsgetreal said...

I'm going to try this but one thing you left out. How much will this make? How many quarts?

Diane@Diane's Place said...

This recipe yields about 7 pints, give or take.

It's not recommended to use quart jars because of issues with the relish not heating thoroughly enough in the center to kill bacteria.

Hope this helps. If not, comment again or email me.

Diane

Anonymous said...

Just a question..any idea how long a jar last in the refrigerator once openned?

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Anonymous: If the cap is tightened well the relish will last almost indefinitely in the fridge. I've never had any go bad, but we use it up in 3-6 months usually. The vinegar and sugar work to keep it from spoiling.

Hope this helps, if not, email me:

lenadianejennings@yahoo.com

Roman said...

Diane,

That seems like a lot of peppers. Is this recipe super hot? I love hot stuff but not overwhelming heat.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Roman,

This is truly not a cop out, but the heat depends on how hot your peppers are. If your peppers are extremely hot, use less hot peppers and increase the cabbage by the same amount.

Many of my family and friends eat this, and so far nobody has found it too hot to eat.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to comment or email me. My email address is listed above on a previous comment.

Diane

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this recipe..I love my chow chow hot and always put extra in it....Nothing like a sweet hot chow chow!

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Anonymous, you're very welcome. Hope you enjoy the chow chow. :o)

Di

Anonymous said...

I used your chow chow recipe and I love it. I used the half pint jars and have given some to friends. How long can I keep the unopened jars and do they need to be refrigerated? I realize the opened ones should be refrigerated I'm just inquiring about the ones not opened.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

If the jars are sealed, they'll keep for 1 year for sure, and longer if kept dark and cool. After a year or more it will still be good, but the quality gradually goes down. If the seal is still good it should still be safe to eat, but I wouldn't push it past 2 years probably.

And the unopened jars are shelf stable and should be kept in a cool dark place such as your inside pantry or storage area. They don't have to be refrigerated till they're opened, then refrigeration is a must.

Hope this helps. :o)

Di

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the recipe. I made this chow chow. My husband loved it, I thought it was a little too sweet. I am not a good cook & have no skills in the kitchen. Do you know what it I should add next time to make it a little less sweet?
Will it be less sweet after it cools? I am still simmering it.
My grandmother made chow chow & I loved it. I woke up this morning craving it so I thought I would give it a try.
Thanks, Lisa

Diane@Diane's Place said...

You can reduce the sugar to a half cup and add a little more salt, but I wouldn't add more than a half teaspoon or so. Taste it before adding more salt, you may not even need it after reducing the sugar.

Hope this helps, and glad you like the recipe. :o)

Di

letsgetreal said...

I canned several pints back in 2007. Gave some away and still have 1/2 pint in the fridge.

It's still very tasty. Great with breakfast and very hot.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

@letsgetreal: Glad you enjoyed the chow chow. :o)

Di

Anonymous said...

I used this recipe somewhat, but only had a cup of chopped peppers of some type, my hubby claimed they were jalapeno, and 1/3 cup chopped habanero. It turned out very hot! Finally something my husband said was a little too hot! I wanted to say though, this recipe made 3 pints, with a little dab left over. Next time we plan to use double everything except leave the peppers the same, should there be any problems with that, as far as canning is concerned?

Diane@Diane's Place said...

I just saw this comment, sorry I'm so late in responding.

As long as you can them in the hot water bath for the full 15 minutes it should be fine. Hope this helps!

Unknown said...

Would this be considered a 'fermented' food? Thanks

Diane@Diane's Place said...

@Queenie: This is a pickled food, but no, it is not fermented.

~Diane