Okra Pickles Recipe

Ingredients

• Young okra pods . . . 2 ½ lb
• Cloves garlic . . . . . . 6 nos
• Fresh dill sprigs . . . . 6 lrg
• (or 6 tspns dill seeds)
• Small red pepper . . . 12 whl
• (Pods preferably cayenne)
• Whole mustard seeds 3 tsp
• Black peppercorns . . 48 nos
• Distilled white vinegar 5 1/3 cup
• Water . . . . . . . . . . 3 ¾ cup
• Sea salt . . . . . . . . . 3 tbsp
• (Kosher salt or pickling salt)

How to make Okra Pickles

1. Sterilize 6 pint canning jars and new canning lids in boiling water.
2. Remove from hot water and let them air-dry.
3. (Don`t touch the insides of the jars after you have sterilized them.) Wash the okra under cold running water, rubbing it gently to remove the fuzz.
4. Trim off most of the stems but leave the tops of the pods intact.
5. Using clean tongs, pack the okra pods into the jars, first stem down, then stem up, so that they mesh with one another.
6. Add 1 clove garlic, 1 sprig of dill (or teaspoon of dill seeds), 2 pepper pods, ½ teaspoon mustard seed and 8 peppercorns to each jar.
7. Combine vinegar, water and salt in a stainless pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
8. Divide the pickling brine among the jars, leaving a full ½-inch of headroom at the top of each jar.
9. Discard any leftover vinegar-water solution.
10. Don`t overfill the jars.
11. Seal the jars with the lids and rings and process them, completely covered, in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
12. Remove with tongs and set the jars, not touching, on folded kitchen towels.
13. Cool completely.
14. Store for 6 to 8 weeks to allow the pickles to mature before using them.
15. Store any jars that do not seal in the refrigerator and use within 2 months.