Nova Scotia Chow Chow- Using up those Green Tomatoes!

If you're like me, you have lots of green tomatoes reddening (and rotting) on your basement floor. I post here a delicious green tomato recipe from my dear neighbour Trish. She shares a wee bit of the heart of Nova Scotia with us...

Chow, chow!  I just like saying the word, even typing it is fun. chow, chow.  chow, chow. meow meow.

This is a Nova Scotia Chow Chow recipe.

To be used on hunks of dry meat or to sweeten up a dull meal.

Delicious any time of year.

Best to can. 

1. Slice:

 - 16 cups finely sliced green tomatoes

 - 8 cups sliced onions

2. Sprinkle well with salt (preferably sea salt) and let sit overnight.  Mmm..salty juices.

3. Drain.

4. Put drained tomatoes and onions in a large pot, add:

  - 3 cups of vinegar, 

  - 4 to 5 cups of sugar (depending on how sweet you want your chow chow)

  - 1/2 cup of pickling spices (in a cheesecloth bag)

5. Cook, stirring often until soft and thick.

Makes six whopping pints.

Green Clean- Recipes for Everybody

When I first set out to make my own cleaning products, the greatest inhibitor was logistical. When the spray bottle emptied, anxiety set in. Now I would have to gather the various ingredients from opposite ends of the house, pull out the recipe from yet another corner, then make the stuff. It seemed more of a production than it was worth. 

Then came the birth of my 'Green Clean Kit', and my family was saved my whining. 

To make a Green Clean Kit, find a crate (a green or blue bin works great) and fill it with the items pictured above:

1. Vinegar 

2. Baking Soda 

3. Castile (ex. Dr. Bronner's) or Pure Glycerine Soap (buy at Grocery/Health Food Store or Online)

4. Oil (olive or otherwise)

5. Borax (found in Laundry aisle)

6. Washing Soda (found in Laundry aisle)

7. Tea Tree

8. Rags

With these ingredients you will be able to make most of the homemade recipes available on the internet or plethora of books on the subject.

To be honest, I use only two recipes for just about every cleaning emergency. I have numerous spray bottles around the house, most marked in Sharpie with the recipes so everyone in the household can make up a new batch of cleaner.

General Purpose Cleaner

(For use everywhere, but on marble. If using on mirrors, experiment with amount of soap.)

1 Cup Water

1 Cup White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Castile Soap (or detergent if that's what you have)

5- 10 drops Tea Tree Oil (optional antibacterial)

Disinfectant

2 Cup Hot Water

3 teaspoons Borax

3 Tablespoons Castile Soap (or detergent if that's what you have)

3 Tablespoons White Vinegar

More oversight is required of this one if kids are cleaning. Borax is a natural mineral, however use it carefully as its highly toxic for animals and children. It is used here for its disinfectant properties in place of bleach.

I've also stumbled onto super cheap liquid hand soap!  Use 1 part Castile Soap to 7 parts Water. Works like a charm and for pennies (okay, maybe it'll cost you $1 to fill a standard soap pump).

Happy Cleaning, Guys, Gals and children of all ages.