Cooking with Margie Davis Fields is a very 'Southern thing'

Chow Chow will add a little 'kick' to many of your favorite dishes.

Margie Davis Fields

"My momma used to make chow chow from her garden veggies." Margie

"I made chow chow today. Why, you ask? Because we can't find any.  At our house, we love it with all kinds of things, and my mother, Liz's grandma, always had it around. I watched her make it lots of times from her garden veggies. So, I had a cabbage and a few things on hand and made it!" Margie Davis Fields

Get creative and add your favorite veggies

Canning chow chow the old-fashioned way

Chow Chow
By Margie Davis Fields

Such a Southern thing to eat with beans, meats, or whenever you want a little relish on your plate. My Momma made green tomato chow chow, pepper chow chow, ripe tomato chow chow...all kinds. I throw in whatever I like and do a basic process of canning. The recipe for this particular chow chow consists of the following:

1 small cabbage 
6 semi-red store-bought tomatoes (I prefer green tomatoes)
5 different color bell peppers
2 hot peppers
3 large sweet onions

Finely chop all vegetables. Place in a large pan. Add three cups of sugar, five cups of white vinegar, 1/4 cup pickling salt, one Tbs. yellow mustard seed, two-to-four cloves, minced garlic, 1 tsp. celery seed, 1 Tbs. pickling spices, and a dash of pepper flakes. You can be creative with the veggies added to the chow chow. Sometimes, I use zucchini or cauliflower. 

Bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat for 20 minutes. Place in six to eight pint jars and seal. Of course, the jars need to be washed and ready to use. 

Next, boil the jars in a canner. The water needs to be at least an inch on the jar. Process for 10 minutes.

​Canning isn't hard. There are more convenient and simpler ways to can than my Momma's technique. Whatever method you use, it will turn out great too!