If you’ve been following this blog for any time at all, you’ll know that I do this “Mystery Bag” thing at a local family farm. You join the facebook event on Thursday, then show up the next Tuesday with your ten dollars and you get a HOOOGE bag o’ veggie goodies.
The thing is; there is just the two of us, so I need to plan. And pickle. And just, mebbe, skip a Mystery Bag or three while I try to catch up with canning all of the goodies my ten dollars have bought.
It has been two weeks since my last Mystery Bag, and I am still dealing with some of the cukes (I am thinking dill relish).
But.
This Chow Chow – a pickle relish kinda thing with red and green cabbage and cauliflower 
and – well – it’s MY recipe – jalapeño – is kinda hard to ignore – and so much better than plain ole sauerkraut.
INGREDIENTS
•8 cups chopped red cabbage
•4 cups chopped green cabbage
•2 cups chopped cauliflower
•3 cups chopped tomatoes
•3 cups chopped sweet onion
•3 cups chopped green pepper
•1-1/2 cup chopped red pepper
•1 cup chopped jalapeño
•3 tbsp fresh minced garlic
•5 tbsp pickling salt
•3 cups sugar
•4 tsp celery seed
•4 tsp dry mustard
•2 tsp mustard seed
•2 tsp ground turmeric
•1 tsp ground ginger
•4 cups white vinegar
•1 cup cider vinegar
Stir the veggies together with the salt in a large bowl or pot, then set aside to stand for four to six hours.
Drain well.
Combine vinegar, sugar, and spices in a large non-reactive pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for ten minutes.
Note: it’s gonna LOOK like you don’t have anywhere near enough pickling liquid. Trust me on this, you’ll be good.
Add the drained veggies, simmer for ten minutes, then bring back to a boil.
Pack in prepared jars and process for ten minutes in a boiling water bath.
I ended up with six pints and four half-pints of BRIGHT red pickled cabbage.
Friends are enjoying this as a salsa, but I, true to my mid century New England roots, suggest you try a bit of this on top of some cottage cheese, which has been dolloped on a cracker.
Heaven on a cracker.