Chow Chow Pickle
Traditionally an Appalachian way to catch the last rays of summer, chow chow is a preserve that says waste not, want not with a wink. It’s sweet, tangy, and a little sassy — brilliant on sandwiches, grilled things, or even sidled up next to a slab of hard cheese. Make more than one jar because this stuff’s the edible version of good gossip: it’s meant to be shared.
It’s perfect for using up all those bits that usually get the compost treatment – things like kale stems, chard stalks, broccoli trunks, the odd carrot, a stray zucchini, and even firm green tomatoes. I like a full rainbow of colours, but go easy on the purple crew (looking at you, red cabbage and beetroot) unless you want your pickle to look like it fell in with the wrong dye batch.
ingredients
- choose from: broccoli/cabbage stalks, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, chard/silverbeet stems, corn, daikon, onion, radish, tomatoes (firmer/less ripe even green will work), zucchini etc
- fine salt (devoid of anti-caking agents preferably)
pickling liquid
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
Wash your vegetables thoroughly and trim away any sad or questionable bits. Dice everything finely so they’re roughly the same size — we’re going for rustic uniformity, not military precision. Toss the lot with a generous sprinkle of salt and let it sit for at least an hour. This draws out moisture (and drama). Rinse lightly with cold water and let it drain really well.
Heat the vinegar and sugar together in a small pan until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let it cool then stir in your spices. How much liquid you’ll need depends on how much your salted veg shrank during their spa session; they’ll have lost a fair bit of water and, with it, some volume.
Pack the vegetables tightly into clean, dry jars, pour over the pickling liquid until everything’s nicely covered, then seal. I don’t bother sterilising jars for this. I just make sure they’re squeaky clean and keep the chow chow in the fridge. If you want it shelf-stable, though, you’ll need to sterilise the jars and lids. There are plenty of how-tos online for that part. Let the jars sit for a couple of weeks before digging in.