Southern Chow-Chow: Classic Green Tomato Relish Recipe

Southern chow chow is a classic green tomato relish, finely diced and seasoned with sweet and tangy spices. It’s an ideal topping for burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, grilled meats, and any place you’d use homemade relish.

Chow Chow is a relish-like preserve that has long been part of Southern cooking. Combining a mix of vegetables with vinegar, sugar, and spices creates a balanced sweet, sour, and tangy flavor that complements many dishes. This Southern-style recipe centers on green tomatoes and cabbage, with dry mustard adding a bright, peppery note.

Beyond sandwiches and burgers, use chow chow to enliven potato salads, serve it alongside fried chicken, add it to charcuterie boards, or spoon it over grilled fish or pork. Because this is a canned relish, you can preserve summer produce and enjoy the flavor year-round.

Types of Chow Chow (or Piccalilli)

Southern Chow Chow is typically sweet and tangy with cabbage, onions, and a touch of heat. Other regional versions vary: Canadian chow chow often highlights green tomatoes and onions; Amish chow chow can include beans, carrots, and cauliflower for a chunkier texture; British piccalilli emphasizes mustard and bold spices; and New England-style piccalilli tends to use a vinegar and brown sugar brine for a tangy-sweet finish.

Ingredients for Southern Chow Chow

To make a canner batch that yields approximately six half-pint jars (or three pint jars):

• 4 cups green tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups bell peppers (green and red), chopped
• 4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup canning salt
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

For best texture and flavor use firm, unripe tomatoes. Some tomatoes remain green when ripe; for this recipe choose tomatoes that are underripe and firm. Although cabbage is not typically recommended for canning on its own, it is safe as part of a tested relish recipe with sufficient vinegar.

Making Southern Chow Chow

Begin by gathering and preparing your ingredients. Finely chop the vegetables into small, even pieces—about 1/4 inch—using a knife or a few quick pulses in a food processor.

Soak the chopped tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, and onions overnight in salted water. After soaking, drain, rinse thoroughly, and drain again. This step firms the vegetables, removes excess salt, and prevents a watery or soggy final relish.

Once the vegetables are drained and rinsed, proceed to make the brine and complete the canning process.

Canning Southern Chow Chow

Combine the sugar, dry mustard, celery seeds, allspice, turmeric, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer 2–3 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Add the drained vegetables to the hot brine and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes so the vegetables heat through and become well coated with the vinegar mixture.

Pack the hot chow chow into hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe jar rims clean, and place sanitized lids and bands on the jars, tightening fingertip-tight.

Process pints in a water bath canner for 10 minutes at elevations from 0 to 1,000 feet. Adjust processing time upward if you are at higher elevations (see notes). After processing, remove jars and let cool undisturbed for 24 hours. Check seals, label, and store jars for up to one year. Any jars that fail to seal should be refrigerated and used promptly.

Serving Southern Chow Chow

Chow chow is versatile and vibrant. Serve a spoonful on sandwiches and burgers, pile it on hot dogs, mix it into potato or egg salad, or offer it as a tangy counterpoint to grilled or fried meats. It also adds color and flavor to cheese and charcuterie boards.

Green Tomato Canning Recipes

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Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes

Dill Pickled Green Tomatoes

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