John Fleer’s chow chow

Posted on by Thomas Calder

Makes 6-8 cups

2 quarts chopped Napa cabbage
4 cups chopped tomatoes
4 cups chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped onions
4 cups chopped green bell peppers, medium dice
2 cups chopped red bell peppers, medium dice
1 cup fresh horseradish, grated (or use 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish)
5 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups rice wine vinegar
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Toss all the prepared vegetables and a half cup of the fresh horseradish (or a ½ tablespoon of prepared horseradish) in salt and let stand for three hours in a colander at room temperature. Combine vinegar, sugar, spices and the other ½ cup fresh horseradish (or ½ tablespoon of prepared) and simmer. Add vegetables, bring back to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and store.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.
View all posts by Thomas Calder →

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