At the end of the summer many homemakers collect what is
left in the garden to make pickles and jams and jellies. Mrs. Clara Sandburg was
among those who wished to preserve as much food as possible for her family to
eat through the coming winter.
In the nineteenth century it was common
practice to combine a variety of vegetables in a vinegar or brine solution.
These foods added flavor and color to meals. It was also an economical way to
use the last of garden produce.
Chow-Chow is an American term applied to a
mixture of chopped cucumbers, green tomatoes, onions and other vegetables in
vinegar mixed with mustard, turmeric, celery seed and sugar. The mustard and
turmeric add a bright yellow color to the pickled product and celery seed
contributes a distinctive flavor. It was eaten on slices of homemade bread in
the Sandburg home.
Today Chow-Chow isn’t served often in the
Midwest. Some families in the South and along the eastern seaboard still enjoy
the condiment.
Piccalilli is an adaptation of an Asian Indian
relish which is popular in the United Kingdom. It contains cucumbers, green
tomatoes, onions, spices, brown sugar and vinegar. Today it is served most often
on Chicago-style hotdogs.
Recipes for these condiments were passed down
from generation to generation since Colonial times. Old cookbooks seldom
included the recipes for chow-chow and piccalilli
as mothers passed them down in handwritten form to their daughters. After
the turn of the twentieth century canning processes were taken over by
commercial concerns and many of the recipes were lost.
Pickling is one of the oldest methods of food
preservation. Its history goes back four thousand years. It is a process of
immersing food in vinegar or brine or a mixture of both. Meats and fish as well
as fruits and vegetables can be preserved in this way.
They add zest and contrast to other foods in a meal.