Anybody pickle okra (with some kick)

[duke76]

I got some Okra growing, for the first time ever and not really sure what to do with it, It is about an inch tall so far. Tried some spicy pickled okra and it was great, have seen a bunch of recipes on the internet but wanting to hear if any of you guys have a tried a recipe that is good

[bruce drake]

I haven't tried any yet but it sounds good!

Bruce

[Marvin S]

I use the recipie in the ball canning book and add an extra hot pepper or two and extra garlic. That fried okra is hard to beat also.

[dale2242]

I`m growing okra for the first time also.
An Okie buddy of mine talked me into growing it for him. He says fried okra is the way to go but pickling it stirs my interest.
BTW , mine is about an inch tall also....dale

[Dark Helmet]

If your okra plant is an inch tall, I got ya'll beat, if you could see it for the grass. If your okra pods are an inch long, you'll be eating it tommorrow .....I lose!

[duke76]

I use the recipie in the ball canning book and add an extra hot pepper or two and extra garlic. That fried okra is hard to beat also.

The recipe you use in the ball canning book is that for Okra or is it for pickles and you just use the okra instead? also are they finicky like pickles like they may get mushy and not crunchy? also how do you fry it ? in oil or butter seasoned? breaded? sorry for all the questions but not familiar with it at all, this last year is the first time Ive ever tried it, guess I live to far north lol Todd

[Rick N Bama]

Okra growing in Iowa & Oregon? I didn't think it would grow outside of the South!

Mine was planted bad late & is only 2 or 3" tall at this point. In the spring my wife told me we had plenty left in the freezer from last year, then of course she reserved her right to change her mind

Dark Helment is right, if you can see the pod today, you'll probably need to pick it tomorrow

I love it fried & sometimes boiled, but I don't care for it pickled.

Rick

[gwpercle]

Here is a recipe that I like, the small amount of sugar offsets the acidic taste of vinegar but it is not sweet. The recipe calls for one hot pepper per jar...add 2 or 3 if you like spicier. the one pepper is not that hot. makes 9 pint jars, wide mouth is easier to get okra out. Heat up waterbath canner and sterilize 9 pint jars then:

2 lbs. fresh young tender okra pods , 2 inch long is good
9 ( or more )hot peppers, fresh or dried
18 small cloves garlic ( or 9 large cloves )
3 tablespoons dill seed
3 tablespoons mustard seed
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
In each of the 9 hot jars put 1 , 2 , or 3 hot peppers, garlic clove(s) , 1 teaspoon dill seed and 1 teaspoon mustard seed.
Pack washed okra pods into jars, boil vineger, water, salt and sugar and pour hot liquid over okra filling jars to 1/2 inch of top. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim and place new hot lid and screw on band.
Process in hot water bath canner 10 mins. Does not need refrigeration untill opened.

Another way to keep okra is to slice it into a gallon freezer bag and freeze. It does not require blanching or any other preparation to freeze and you can collect it every day , save in freezer untill you have enough to fry or cook with.

I like to use it in gumbo. My favorite is shrimp , okra and tomato gumbo.

gary
recipe from Louisiana

[oneokie]

how do you fry it ? in oil or butter seasoned? breaded? sorry for all the questions but not familiar with it at all, this last year is the first time Ive ever tried it, guess I live to far north lol Todd

Bread with either flour or cornmeal seasoned to your liking. Cooking oil of your choice.

We use the same breading recipe for Okra, Squash, and Green Tomatoes, and Fish.

[gwpercle]

When my Mamma fried okra she would heat oil in a deep chicken fryer pan,
with about 1 inch or 1 1/4 inch deep . put a cup of flour in a brown paper bag add some salt and pepper to flour...shake well. Put enough sliced okra into bag to cover pan , 1 layer deep. Shake the bag ( this was my job when young )
when the okra has a light coating of seasoned flour gently shake off any excess and spoon okra into hot oil, fry untill flour is a nice golden brown.
Remove with slotted spoon , drain on paper towels. Cook in batches so as not to crowd the pan, you want the okra seperate not one big solid lump of fried okra . It's easier to show someone how than tell it. Add flour to bag when it starts getting low. This is the only way my Daddy would eat oakra.
Fried okra is prably not healthy but fried anything is good in my book.

gary

[Longwood]

We grew it in South West Oregon with great success.
I grew it in my front flower bed in Costa Mesa CA, and got lot's of remarks about the very pretty new flowers that many people had never seen.
I grow it in the desert in California and it does better than about anything else here.
I love it fried, especially well, and or steamed then slatherd with home-made butter if not overcooked.

I like it pickled but I had some store bought once that they ruined with something weird tasting.
Keep it simple if pickling.

A few pods to a pot of shelled blackeyed peas with a couple of slices of bacon and some young snapped pea pods for additional taste and texture is mighty fine eating.

[dragonrider]

Okra grows very well up here in Mass and I like it but I don't like the slime, how does one get rid of it????

[Longwood]

Okra grows very well up here in Mass and I like it but I don't like the slime, how does one get rid of it????

The slime can certainly turn people off.
Including myself.

It seems to come from slower, longer, cooking methods.
If I fry it, chopped in 1/2" - 3/4" pieces, rolled in milk or egg or both then lightly seasoned cornmeal with a bit of flower, I don't get slime.

I steam it whole until barely done so the slime does not occur.

[dragonrider]

I'll have to try that. thanks

[Dale in Louisiana]

Wash the okra, cut off most of the stem, put in jars along with whole garlic cloves (a bunch) whole pepper pods (cayenne, serrano, jalapeno, tabasco) whole black peppercorns, pickling spices (if that's your thing). Juggle the amount of peppers to suit your taste.

Bring white vinegar to a boil in a non-reactive pan, pour hot vinegar over the okra, making sure it is completely covered, tap the jar to make sure you don't have trapped air bubbles, and screw the caps on. Let it in a dark place for at least a couple of weeks.

enjoy.

the same treatment works with little green tomatoes, little zucchini squash, green beans, or a mixture of any or all of them.

dale in Louisiana

[Longwood]

My fathers favorite was, baby carrots, pieces of cauliflower, little onions and Okra pickled together.
I remember pickle spices and a bay leaf in the jars.

[Dark Helmet]

More bacon drippings>slime

[shaggist]

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes was a weekly item at my Grandma's when I was little. Fried Okra was my favorite-better than popcorn.

[gwpercle]

We have some miniture okra plants that are red in color , the leaves, stems and okra pods are an attractive shade of red. The flowers , being related to the hibiscus, are a brillant shade of yellow with a dark violet/red center. Since it is miniture it only grows about 30 to 36 inches tall, instead of the typical 6 feet tall. My wife plants them in our front flower bed and unless you stop and look closely you would never know these are not some kind of ornamental bedding plant. here we are growing crops in the front yard.

Whats funny is the short plants produce regular large size pods, if you don't cut them quickly they grow 12 to 16 inches long in no time but then they are too tough for eating. The pods are red but turn green color when cooked.
Every year I let a few pods stay on the plant untill they mature and turn brown, then save the seeds to plant for next year. Okra seems to thrive on our heat and humidity and not bothered by any pest except whiteflies.

gary

[10 ga]

I did about 2 cases of quarts of pickled okra last year. Guys really like the hotter kind. I just use the "kosher dill" mix that comes in a package. Mrs. Wages mix is the name. Just add some crushed garlic and some fresh "hot" peppers or dried crushed pepper flakes. It's all gone now and going to do "dilly" beans this year instead. Best, 10 ga