Chow Chow and Vinegar pie

[wdfifteen]

I was watching a TV show about Appalachian cuisine that discusses some of the foods that my grandmother used to make.

Chow Chow - was a kind of condiment or sometimes used as the dinner's vegetable that was made from the dregs of the garden at summer's end. It could be almost anything that was still in the garden - cabbage, peppers, green tomatoes, old corn, carrots - all in proportion to what was available and mixed with vinegar, salt, and sugar and canned in a hot water bath. "Life is like a jar of Chow Chow, you never know what you're going to get."

Vinegar pie - pie made with vinegar and a LOT of sugar. It was kind of like Key Lime pie only it tasted awful. My grandfather loved it because it was so full of sugar. For me - interesting, not a favorite.

Salt rising bread - I don't remember a lot about it. It was always made from some "starter" that was kept in the cellar, like sourdough. It was coarse and crumbly. If we didn't have salt rising bread on the table we had a cheap version of Wonder bread. I was 20 years old and beginning to travel before I discovered that bread could be good.

[KFC911]

Chow Chow isn't random based upon my experience....everyone's (home made) was different, but consistent. Have you ever had "Moravian slaw"? Hard to describe...but mmmmm

[74-911]

Good memories, my grandmother made the best chow-chow. No idea what exactly (definitely had cabbage and green tomatos) what was in it but I know it was great as a side with red beans and cornbread...

Agree with KC911, each person who made it probably used a fairly consistent family recipe, just each family had it's own .

[mreid]

You can buy several varieties of Chow Chow at HEB in Texas.

Check out the ingredients:

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/mrs-renfro-s-mild-chow-chow/127988

[74-911]

Originally Posted by mreid

You can buy several varieties of Chow Chow at HEB in Texas.

Check out the ingredients:

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/mrs-renfro-s-mild-chow-chow/127988

I just happen to have a jar of that in the fridge. Not as good as grandma's but not bad.

[KFC911]

Two that can be found at local regional chains, both made locally (Winston-Salem), are Mrs. Campbell's and Hiatt's...purely personal preferences on chowchow.....I prefer the Hiatt's spicy...family recipes....I'll be searchin' for Patrick's some day

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by 74-911

I just happen to have a jar of that in the fridge. Not as good as grandma's but not bad.

Mrs. Renfro ain't from around here....never seen it before ....my loss.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by KC911

Chow Chow isn't random based upon my experience....everyone's (home made) was different, but consistent.

Not in my grandmother's kitchen. It always had cabbage, onions, and green tomatoes because those were always still in the garden at first frost. If there was still corn left in the garden there was corn in it. No corn left, no corn in the chow chow. Same with carrots and I don't remember what else.
She made various relishes throughout the summer that were similar - green tomato relish & pickle relish etc, and some kind of pickled cauliflower/onions/carrots/sweet peppers stuff, and these were all consistent. But the chow chow recipe was, "Let's clear out the garden before the first frost."

[mreid]

Originally Posted by 74-911

I just happen to have a jar of that in the fridge. Not as good as grandma's but not bad.

I just went and looked. Son of a... we have the hot variety along with some of my other favorites.

[masraum]

I'd heard of Chow Chow because a fairly famous (in Houston) very small sandwich chain called "Antone's" put chow chow on their sandwiches and it was tasty, but of course, it was always the same.

I like the idea of the variable, using whatever is in the garden at the end of the year, recipe for it.

I was curious so I looked up vinegar pie. Apparently, vinegar pie is a chess pie that has had vinegar added. And chess pie is a sweet cornmeal pie.

[WPOZZZ]

This is what I think of when you say Chow Chow.

[masraum]

I asked my mom (Southern Girl) about vinegar pie. She said that she'd heard of it, but can't remember if she'd ever had it. She has had "Chess Pie". Vinegar pie is, apparently, a type of chess pie. What I've read is that some (seems most) chess pies have an acidic ingredient which is usually one of three things, vinegar, buttermilk or lemon juice. Here's part of a web page that I found talking about chess pie vs buttermilk pie.

To put it simply: All buttermilk pies are chess pies, but not all chess pies are buttermilk pies.

The chess pie originates from England, but has long been known as a traditional Southern dish.

Chess pie was created using four basic ingredients (flour, butter, sugar and eggs). Recipes vary depending on the time period in which they were created. “Many people likely just used what they had on hand during the time when the chess pie was gaining popularity, and buttermilk was a common pantry staple,” Southern Kitchen’s chef Jeffrey Gardner explained. “After reading through one of my older cookbooks, it's important to note that while most chess pies — especially the ones we see today — have dairy in them, some do not. Cornmeal as a stabilizer in the filling is distinct to chess pie.”

Buttermilk is the main factor in differentiating the two pies. Adding an acidic ingredient, like buttermilk or vinegar, to the pie will cut down on the sweetness and change the consistency of the filling. More specifically, these ingredients affect the cooking of the eggs. Gardner explained: “Acid lowers the temperature at which eggs, and egg whites in particular, coagulate. There is a delicate balance between [adding] enough acid to strengthen the protein bonds of the eggs and [adding] too much acid, which prevents coagulation [completely]. The short answer is that [using] the right balance of acid … means that the eggs will coagulate — or set up — more smoothly.”

As I started telling my wife about them, she realized that my M-i-L makes a chess pie.

My mom also mentioned "shoofly pie". I'm pretty sure I haven't had it, but it sounds really tasty. It's basically a molases pie.

[KFC911]

I've had chess pie before....many times decades ago....live & learn! I just remember it was good ....probably the buttermilk version though.

[asphaltgambler]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

This is what I think of when you say Chow Chow.

^^ me too ^^ beat me to it!

[craigster59]

I have a bunch of the Foxfire books from the 70's that had recipes, handcrafts and techniques from Appalachia. They have a cookbook that probably has some of the dishes your Grandma made..
https://www.amazon.com/Foxfire-Book-Appalachian-Cookery/dp/0807843954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525103367&sr=1-1&keywords=foxfire+book+of+appalachian+cookery

[GH85Carrera]

I had never heard of chow chow until my we were at my in-laws and my MIL served ham and beans. She handed me a jar of chow chow like it was necessary to have on my beans. I don't care much (OK any at all) for relish, so I just passed it on. Everyone looked at me like I was nuts. They all layered on a bunch of it on the beans. I had seen a jar of Tabasco in the fridge that was old, but it never really goes bad. I used that.