This is my mom's recipe. The original recipe called for 7 cups of sugar but she found it to be too sweet so she cut it down to 5 or 6.

Tomato Chow

28 cups tomatoes, sliced
8 cups onions, sliced
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
5-6 cups sugar (½ white and ½ brown)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp turmeric
1 cup sweet red pepper, chopped or sliced

Combine tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with about ½ cup coarse salt; let sit overnight. (Adding too much salt will make the tomatoes "rubbery, tough".) This step is for green tomatoes only. Skip this step for ripened tomatoes.

In a large pot, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and spices and bring to a boil. Drain tomato mixture well and add to the brine with the red pepper. Simmer for about 2 hours. Store in sterilized hot jars, and seal. Makes about 6½ quarts.

Old recipes had lots of sugar because the vinegar was stronger, often around 10% or 15% compared to today's 5%.

It's a good idea to boiling water bath the product. For pint jars 15 minutes should do it. Open kettle canning hasn't been recommended for a long time. Even if there isn't a food safety issue, canning extends shelf life and reduces the likelihood of mold.

Carol