Elaine Bourque, from left, shares her secret in making cucumber chow chow relish with Virgie Dionne and Gloria Boutte. Bourque had set up a table at the New Iberia Teche Area Farmer’s Market Saturday. This week kicked off National Farmer’s Market Week, Aug. 5-11, to create awareness of how consumers can enjoy the benefits of fresh produce and at the same time support local producers.

Elaine Bourque makes the most of her garden’s bounty all year. She just can’t stop canning. At the New Iberia Teche Area Farmer’s Market, Bourque is known for her homemade old fashioned cucumber chow chow relish and pickles.

Nothing beats a fresh cucumber right off the vine, but when the bumper crop comes to an end, Bourque said she is prepared for the winter months. She always has an ample supply of canning jars filled with pickles and chow chow relish stored on the pantry shelves for her family to enjoy on those cold winter days.

Each Tuesday and Saturday, she sets up a booth at the farmer’s market to sell the extra jars.

“I usually can about 20 pints of chow chow at one time. I like to take advantage of the fresh cucumbers when the season is at its peak,” said Bourque. “It’s one of my best sellers at the farmer’s market.”

Bourque’s chow chow recipe featuring a combination of cucumbers, peppers and onions makes the relish the perfect condiment for hot dogs and hamburgers. The Southern favorite can be used as a topping over rice and gravy, beans and collards or ladled over seafood stuffed into a po boy bun. A few heaping tablespoons of chow chow will spice up any potato salad, Bourque said.

Her son Dale Bourque serves as a taste-tester, sampling each batch to make sure it has the perfect combination of sugar and vinegar to create the flavor.

“Chow chow is a great way to use up those surplus cucumbers so it can be enjoyed all year long,” she said. “Using fresh vegetables is the key to a good relish.”

For those who did not take advantage of this summer’s bumper crop of cucumbers, Bourque said there is still time to get ready for the winter months. The fall crop of cucumbers should soon be ready for harvesting and there will be plenty of vine fresh cucumbers available at the local farmers markets.

While the origination of chow chow is vague, it is believed the relish was derived from the need to preserve vegetables for winter and may have stemmed from using left over end of the season vegetables before the first frost.

Although Bourque prefers to use cucumbers as the main ingredient for her old fashion chow cow, ingredients can vary depending on individual taste, she said.

Shredded cabbage, chopped green tomatoes and sometimes red tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, jalapenos, celery, beans, cauliflower and carrots are often paired together.

Sweet, tangy, hot or a combination of both, chow chow has become a vegetable staple on many Southern dining tables.

Sunday marked the kick off for National Farmer’s Market Week, Aug. 5-11, a week set aside to create awareness of how more and more consumers enjoy the benefits of fresh produce and the great deals offered by locally produced foods.

But for Bourque and the other vendors who set up booths at area farmer’s markets, it is more than a week’s celebration — the local vendors tout their fresh produce year round.

With three Teche Area farmer’s markets operating year round, consumers can easily find fresh produce and value added products such as preserves, baked breads, pastries, and other specialty foods that are local, fresh and affordable.

The New Iberia Teche Area Farmer’s Market is open from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Bouligny Plaza on Main Street.

“The best tip I can give is go early for the best selection. We do sell out fast,” said Bourque.

The Franklin Farmer’s Market located at 306 Willow Street, Franklin, is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The Bayou Teche Farmer’s Market in St. Martinville is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is located at 203 N. New Market St.