Monday, August 10, 2009

Chow Chow???


I know what most of you are thinking, what the heck is CHOW CHOW?  If you Google it you will most likely find many canine sites. That's not what we're talking here.  Chow chow is a southern delicacy that we eat with blackeyed peas etc.  It's a type of relish,  and you can find some mighty fine chow chow at the Pepper Place Market on Saturdays in Birmingham.  Go on and hit this link and see what's in it.

20 comments:

Olivier said...

je ne connais pas, je vais voir si on en trouve en France

Julie said...

"boiling water bath canner ... pray tell ... what is a "canner"?

I live in the state of New South Wales (NSW). The state to our north is Queensland. When we want to put-them-down we say "They do things differently in Queensland"! so WITHOUT meaning to put you down, but with puzzled bemusement and much affection ... you do things differently in Alabamee ...

Virginia said...

Julie,
Since I"ve never canned anything, my explanation will be limited. I think what happens is after you fill the jars you put them in a large pot of boiling water for a period of time. A canner is the large pot where the jars can sit in the boilingwater.

YEP, we do everything differently here!HA
V

Thérèse said...

If Julia Child is ok with it I'll try it... lol
I've tried chowchow but not Southern Style.

Karen said...

I've had ChowChow in Southern New Jersey. They served it at the Smithville Inn near Atlantic City. I liked it.
Preparing food in jars for preserving is called "Canning" It was the precursor to the metal cans we now purchase food in. Virginia was correct in that the jars are placed into a rack in a large covered pot and sterilized by boiling for a length of time. The heat of the canning bath also helps to tightly seal the lids of the jars.

Halcyon said...

I'm not sure I want to know what's in it, but I'll take a peek. :)

marley said...

I clicked the link and I've learnt something new! It looks and sounds tasty. Might have to have a go at making this!

Laurie Allee said...

We definitely didn't have Chow Chow in Texas. In fact, this is the first I've heard of it. Do I have to relinquish my Southern Gal roots now?

Talk to me about Hoppin John, grits and cornbread... but Chow Chow?! I want some!

Eki said...

are they sweet? sweet-sour? salty?

they somewhat look like our manisan cianjur i posted quite a while ago.

have a good day, v.

Judi said...

Absolutely! I'm familiar with Chow-Chow (Southerner).
But, I must comment on your banner photo. The visual triggered my sense of smell and it was wonderful!

Char said...

chow chow always always makes me think of my daddy. such beautiful memories. my grandmother made this from her garden veggies.

Ken Mac said...

yes we who grew up in the south (NC for me) know all about chow chow...goes well with bar-b-q!

Virginia said...

Laurie,
Hush your mouth. Now you know there's some chow chow in Texas somewhere. Run that by Dixie Jane.

KM
Oh you Carolinians do put some weird stuff on BBQ! ha

I"m pleased my photo has evoked some nice memories for ya'll!!!

Eki,
Well I'm not sure how to describeit. I'd say sweet/sour. Anyone else want to help me describe it?

Chattahoochee Valley Daily said...

Not just in the south. My mother-in-law used to make this back in the day and she grew up and lived in the back woods of Minnesota.

nathalie in avignon said...

Another interesting post here!

Sorry I haven't been commenting for a while, I was on holidays/work on and off with very little time left for blogging, let alone commenting. And now I'm going away for ten days again.

I'm glad you met Eric of PDP. I saw him in Avignon briefly late July and that was wonderful too.

Julie said...

I can remember as a young child watching my mother preserve apricots etc in large jars with rubber rings called something like Fowlers Vacola ... the right sounds wont go from my mind to my fingers ... They tided us over the winter.

Thank you for the descriptions of the "canning" part of the process from a couple of you. I dont think I would have the patience ... or the raw materials.

Kim said...

Well, my mom grew up in PA and raised us in California, and we always had Chow Chow around the house and everyone in our fam loved it. Maybe the south sent it up to the Mid Atlantic, and my mom took it west? Or maybe the Quakers took it south with them when they migrated to the Carolinas. I know the Amish/Mennoite farm markets in South Eastern PA offer it. We ate it with a lot of things, but I'd never eaten black eyed peas until I had it in soup right here in Seattle. The world is shrinking in its regional cooking traditions. . .so much sharing going on in the food world.

Unknown said...

Good post.....
Great Blog.....
very good photo.....
Every one should read this ....
thanks for sharin with us......

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DyanaDevis

Online Marketing of your brand

Chow-Chow Relish said...

My favorite is Southern, Garden Style for beans and as a topping on burgers. I like Cajun Chow-Chow for hot dogs.

To search for Chow Chow and avoid all the sites about dogs add the word "relish" at the end (Chow-Chow Relish) and you will find everything you ever wanted to know about the non-dog version.

Virginia said...

CCR,
Who knew??? Glad you found this post. Maybe I'll capture some more photos at the Pepper Place. I'll keep an eye out.
V