Cooking things: Pickled Okra

It’s okra time.  (So sorry, Taylor, but it is.)

Fresh okra is in the supermarket, and the farmers’ markets, and as a loyal son of Southern cooking I think it is time to make and eat fried okra and can pickled okra.  (I will let those people eat filé gumbo and stewed okra who can stomach mucilage.  I’m not among you.)

Last week was the first time that I saw fresh okra at H-E-B this season, and I promptly glommed onto two pounds.  I already had two whiskey bottles full of rosemary-red pepper infused vinegar steeping away and I had run a bunch of mason jars through the dishwasher to sanitize ’em, so I was SO ready to start doing pickle-y stuff with the okra.

I took this recipe and did most of the things it says (left out the Thai chiles, since I was already using pepper-infused vinegar), and ended up with two quarts and two pints of okra that ought to be ready about September 1st.  Gonna think real hard about whether I can afford to buy a peck of okra at the Mueller Farmers’ Market next week.  (I have already kinda committed already to buying a peck of second-quality peaches, not pretty enough for the table but just fine for making jam.)

If it is okra season where you are, I really think you should be canning some pickles.  It’s too easy, and tastes too good to pass it up.  And your friends will will love it when you come with your pickles to the cocktail party.

Cocktail Okra Pickles

Categories : Pickles, Vegetables

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
————————  ————————————  ——————————————————————————————
      2         pounds  Okra pods, fresh and tender
      5                 Thai chiles
      5                 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
      1          quart  White vinegar
      1            cup  Water
      6    tablespoons  Kosher salt
      1     tablespoon  Celery seed
      1     tablespoon  Mustard seed
      2    tablespoons  Black peppercorns
      ½       teaspoon  Ground cumin
      1     tablespoon  Red pepper flakes

Wash okra and pack into clean jars with screw tops.  Into each jar put one red or green hot pepper and a clove of garlic.

Bring remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the okra, filling the jars to overflowing.  (Note: I don’t believe this; leave half an inch headspace ….)

Seal while hot, process for ten minutes in a boiling water bath, and let age for two months before using.

Original poster: –=> This recipe comes from the bottom of the files of Shelley Rodgers <=–
Yield:  3 quarts

— – — – — – — – — – — – — – — – — – —

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 88 Calories; 1g Fat (7.2% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 4248mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1½ Vegetable; 0 Fat; ½ Other Carbohydrates.

A clairvoyant turns over a tarot card with a compass on it.  ‘Your destiny is to be eaten by a monster,’ he says to you.  Fnord.