We had so much okra in the garden last year, that I didn't
plant a single okra
seed this year. We had bucket after bucket after bucket full. I gave it away. Fried it. Made bumbo. Pickled it. Mixed it with tomatoes and corn and canned it. And last but not least, we have 1/4 of an upright freezer full. More in the little deep freeze.
If there are any okra volunteers that
spring up this year, I'm going to yank the dear little things out by the roots and throw 'em in the cow pasture and pretend I never saw them. Since I've gone through so much grief over an over-abundance of okra I'll tell you how to pickle some if you get in a mess like I did last summer.
Pickled Okra
3 1/2 lbs. okra
1 quart white vinegar
2 T salt
2 T black peppercorns (smash 'em a little)
2 t red
pepper flakes
1 t dill
seed1 t dry mustard
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
4 whole cloves
1 t Tabasco sauce
Now this is a 'hot' recipe. Don't use as much Tabasco and red
pepper flakes if you don't want it hot. You can halve the amount of black peppercorns too.
Wash and drain the okra. Put it in ice water and soak it for 2 hours. This will make it stay crisp!
Next, make the brine mixture. Get a big pot and mix the vinegar, salt, peppercorns, red
pepper flakes, dill
seed, mustard, garlic, onion, cloves, and Tabasco.
Bring this to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pack the okra in hot stereilized jars and fill with your brine mixture to within 1/4 inch of the top of the jars.
Wipe the rims dry and put on the lids. Set aside to seal. Store in a cool dark place. Refrigerate at least 1 day before serving.
That's how we do it and it's a winner.
Belle
