Ask Behr anything food related thread

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#8,776
#8,776
Behr said:
Yea, I remember it being a huge process, but thinking about it now, I'm guessing it was because of using items from thier gardens and having to make so much of it at one time. Had to do something with all that stuff. They wouldn't dare think about going to the store to buy stuff to make it, much less a jar of it.

I know exactly what you mean! That is where mine lacked the most, That and the "heat", I couldn't get the heat right.

I might just make this a project. The best time to make it approaching.

What do you remember about it, ingredients specifically.
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Green peppers and onions. I remember (the one and only time I was over there the day she made it) dicing (no cutting board, just dicing by hand with a paring knife sitting at the dining room table). Big bowls of diced veggies. I feel like I remember tomatoes? Course she canned tomoatoes too, so that could have been a different time. Vinegar, of course, but I couldn't tell you what else. And I have no idea what she used for the heat, but you're right, that was the perfection of hers. The color ended up being close to the color of dry mustard, only slightly more brown.

Not a lot of help, huh. lol
 
#8,777
#8,777
What I'm finding out is, what they (my grandma and your ex GNL) did and what I think they did, are two way different things. The things most of the recipes have in common like, brown sugar, I wouldn't use, but did they? Turmeric, I would use it, but did they?

Another thing, I wouldn't think they would use pickling spice, you know the packages that usually comes with the canning jars. But did they instead of using the celery seed, dry mustard, turmeric etc separately, that is common in the pickling spice mix? I do remember seeing those used for other things. My mom used it for cucumbers.

I'm suddenly reminded of Julia...."you guarantee a good meal by picking the recipe well, not by following the recipe well".

Any comments, suggestions or advice is welcome. I am now committed to this as a project.
 
#8,779
#8,779
This is what I remember it looking like. I can't decide if I think she used cabbage or green tomatoes. Or both.

chowchowrelish.jpg
 
#8,781
#8,781
I did make a pretty tasty dish yesterday. It was sautéed chicken thighs with an oyster and caper Veloutte. It's a keeper.
 
#8,782
#8,782
Smallvol#1 said:
Bless your heart! You have now had the door opened unto you. Enter to the harvest: okra, fried green tomatoes, pinto beans with chow chow, banana pudding, pimento cheese....and enjoy the abundance!:)
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I LOVE banana pudding. My mom made the best evar. Not a fan of fried green tomatoes and don't even know what chow chow is, other than a dog breed. Had okra a time or two. Not enough to form a strong opinion. Don't remember if I like pimento cheese or not, even though I think I would based on the fact that I love hot stuff.
 
#8,783
#8,783
I like okra. Cornmeal breaded and fried best.

Grilled Pimento cheese sammich, da bomb.

Based on store bought chow chow, it's nothing to write home about.

Banana pudding with Nilla wafers. Pfsht. Yea, I'll have...a bucket.
 
#8,784
#8,784
Behr said:
I like okra. Cornmeal breaded and fried best.

Grilled Pimento cheese sammich, da bomb.

Based on store bought chow chow, it's nothing to write home about.

Banana pudding with Nilla wafers. Pfsht. Yea, I'll have...a bucket.
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exactly
 
#8,785
#8,785
Behr said:
This is what I remember it looking like. I can't decide if I think she used cabbage or green tomatoes. Or both.

chowchowrelish.jpg
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Same, except chopped smaller. And I don't recall any vibrant red. So she either cooked the color out of red peppers, or didn't include them.

Another thing that doesn't help is my ex-father-in-law was famous for growing various little chili peppers. Sometimes hot, sometimes not, and he rarely knew what he planted exactly. I think that probably accounted for some of the heat in hers.
 
#8,786
#8,786
The color was mainly what I was referring to. Yea, the texture was different with my grandmas too. Hers did have some red in it and I'm more inclined to think it was red bell rather than a hot pepper, but I could be totally wrong. Again, This is my biggest obstacle. Not just the peppers but what type, and the cabbage and green tomatoes. I don't think she would waste a tomato by using a green one, but who knows. I am leaning towards using the pickling spice package tho, I have a gut feeling she used it.

Good God. 18 different ingredients used in some I've found. Horseradish, cinnamon, ginger and clove are the most odd. Pretty sure there wasn't any of that in hers. I hope. Lol.
 
#8,787
#8,787
And cucumbers. Out of the 5 most likely recipes that seem the closest, only one has cucumbers. My grandparents and my parents grew shatloads of cucumbers. Another thing I would think she used in the chow chow, but maybe she didn't.
 
#8,788
#8,788
Coors?!?!?! :nono:

Jimminy Cricket, Behr! You ought to know that Captain Crunch pairs with a malty brown ale...
 
#8,791
#8,791
For as close to a proper bagel and lox as one can get outside of NYC, I'll drive down to north metro Atlanta and grab one at a Goldberg's Deli.
 
#8,794
#8,794
vollygirl said:
Green peppers and onions. I remember (the one and only time I was over there the day she made it) dicing (no cutting board, just dicing by hand with a paring knife sitting at the dining room table). Big bowls of diced veggies. I feel like I remember tomatoes? Course she canned tomoatoes too, so that could have been a different time. Vinegar, of course, but I couldn't tell you what else. And I have no idea what she used for the heat, but you're right, that was the perfection of hers. The color ended up being close to the color of dry mustard, only slightly more brown.

Not a lot of help, huh. lol
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Green tomatoes. I swear there were green tomatoes in it. I'm not sure Granma had a recipe, she may have just used whatever was available. I remember them making it, but few specifics. Mama had one of those four sided graters and I seem to remember them grating something. Looked through Mama's cookbooks, including her hand written one, and can't find a recipe for chow chow. That's one reason I think it may have been catch as catch can and a lot of experience! Gosh it was good.
 
#8,795
#8,795
Behr said:
The color was mainly what I was referring to. Yea, the texture was different with my grandmas too. Hers did have some red in it and I'm more inclined to think it was red bell rather than a hot pepper, but I could be totally wrong. Again, This is my biggest obstacle. Not just the peppers but what type, and the cabbage and green tomatoes. I don't think she would waste a tomato by using a green one, but who knows. I am leaning towards using the pickling spice package tho, I have a gut feeling she used it.

Good God. 18 different ingredients used in some I've found. Horseradish, cinnamon, ginger and clove are the most odd. Pretty sure there wasn't any of that in hers. I hope. Lol.
Click to expand...

End of season and using up the green tomatoes? They never let anything go to waste. The best vegetable soup I ever made was one time I went through the garden at end of summer and just picked whatever was hanging on. It was wonderful!
 
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#8,797
#8,797
Behr said:
And cucumbers. Out of the 5 most likely recipes that seem the closest, only one has cucumbers. My grandparents and my parents grew shatloads of cucumbers. Another thing I would think she used in the chow chow, but maybe she didn't.
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Nah, nine day pickles, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, refrigerator pickles....really don't think they put cucumbers in chow chow...just my memory. And volly's right, chopped finer, don't remember a lot of red either.
 
#8,799
#8,799
Smallvol#1 said:
Nah, nine day pickles, dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, refrigerator pickles....really don't think they put cucumbers in chow chow...just my memory. And volly's right, chopped finer, don't remember a lot of red either.
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There wasn't a lot of red, but it was there. I've got a good idea what I'm gonna do first. It's not just the ingredients, it's the cooking time and process in general.
 
#8,800
#8,800
Behr said:
There wasn't a lot of red, but it was there. I've got a good idea what I'm gonna do first. It's not just the ingredients, it's the cooking time and process in general.
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Bet they cold packed it. Doubt my great grandmother ever had a pressure canner, and doubt my grandmother did until she was older. Mama had one...I was scared to death of it. Jars exploded on her one time, can barely remember, but I remember her being injured. She healed and kept on going, traumatized me:).

When you figure it out and are happy with it, PLEASE post the recipe.
 
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