Okra Pickles
Crunchy dill pickled okra with garlic and hot peppers. Water bath canned for shelf-stable Southern snacking that beats any store-bought jar.
YIELD
4 pintsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minIf you’ve got a bumper crop of okra or scored a deal at the farmers market, this is how you preserve that summer bounty. Small okra pods get packed tight into jars with garlic cloves and halved hot peppers, then covered with a boiling vinegar brine spiked with dill seed.
A 15-minute boiling water bath seals everything up for months of shelf-stable storage. The result is crunchy, tangy, spicy pickled okra that’s perfect for snacking straight from the jar, garnishing Bloody Marys, or adding to Southern cheese plates.
This recipe yields four pints, but you’ll wish you’d doubled it once you taste the first jar.
Pro Tips
- Choose small, tender okra pods (large ones can get woody and tough when pickled)
- Wear rubber gloves when cutting and seeding the hot peppers to protect your hands from capsaicin burns
- Pack okra firmly into jars but leave exactly ¼ inch headspace for proper sealing
- Remove air bubbles by sliding a clean knife or spatula down the inside of the jar before capping
- Let jars rest for at least 2 weeks before opening so flavors can fully develop
Ingredients
Directions
Pack okra firmly into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch head space.
Put a garlic clove and half a pepper in each jar.
Combine water, vinegar, salt and dill seed and bring to a boil.
Pour hot liquid over okra, leaving ¼ inch head space.
Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield: about 4 pints. Note: When cutting hot peppers or seeding, use rubber gloves to prevent burning hands.
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