Spicy Pickled Okra
Do you love pickled okra but hate to pay grocery or specialty store prices? It really is so easy to make yourself especially since okra is so plentiful right now.
Equipment
- 8 pint jars, lids, screw bands
- canner with wire rack bottom
- tongs
- jar and lid lifters
Ingredients
- 3 pounds okra fresh 3-4" long
- 8 cloves garlic
- 8 jalapeno peppers cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup canning or pickling salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons pickling spices
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Wash 8 pint jars, lids, and screw bands in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Place the wire rack in the bottom of the canner, fill half way with water, submerge the jars in the water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the jars in the water. Sterilize the lids and screw bands by putting them in a smaller pot of water that is simmering, not boiling.
- Rinse the okra pods and trim the stem ends. Do not remove the end cap entirely but leave about ¼ inch on the cap.
- Using tongs, remove the hot jars from the water and set on a layer of clean towels. Evenly divide the garlic cloves and the jalapeno peppers between the jars.
- Place vinegar, water, salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Reduce the heat, add the pickling spices and red pepper flakes to the mixture. Stir and keep warm.
- Pack the okra in the jars, alternating stem-side-up with stem-side-down to allow more okra to fit in the jars. Pour the vinegar mixture over the okra, filling to ½ inch from the top.
- Wipe the jar rims, cover at once with metal lids, and screw on the bands (snugly but not too tight.)
- Place jars in the canning rack and add boiling water as needed in order to cover the jars by 1-2 inches of water. Add the lid and bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. (Start counting the processing time from the point that the water is actually boiling, not when you put the jars in the water.)
- Remove the canner from the heat. Cool jars in the canner for 5 minutes and them transfer the jars to a dry, clean kitchen towel. ( I put a towel on a cutting board to protect the counters from the hot jars.) Cool for 12-24 hours before storing. Test the seal of each jar by pressing the center of each lid. If any of the jars didn't seal, place the okra in the refrigerator and use soon. Store in a clean, dry place at room temperature for up to a year.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!