Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Canning



Its been so long since I posted but have been busy canning this summer. Today I want to show you my pickled okra. The recipe is simple and easy to make. I used Jackie Clay's cookbook called Growing and Canning Your Own food. Jackie is a homesteading columnist for Backwoods Home Magazine and has a online blog at the magazine's website, www.backwoodshome.com/blobs/JackieClay.
Pickled Okra
2 lbs. fresh Okra
9 sm. Hot Peppers
3 Tbsp. dill seeds
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups water
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/4 cup sugar
cloves of garlic

In 9 wide mouth, hot jars, put 1 pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 tsp. dill seed in each one. Pack washed okra with stems cut short into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.
Boil vinegar, water, pickling salt, and sugar and pour over okra, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Remove bubbles. Wipe rim of jar clean; place hot, previously-simmered lid on jar, and screw down ring firmly tight. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

I followed this recipe except I left out the hot peppers(as I'm a wimp when it comes to heat) and I also put some in regular jars and liked it better. The okra tends to float to the top and it worked better staying in the liquid when packed tightly in regular jars. Also I halved this recipe as I didn't have enough at one time to make 9 jars. After reading several articles and recipes on pickled okra, its basically the same. They also state to do not open for several weeks to allow the okra to "pickle".
All this okra was given to me so cost was fairly cheap to make. I guess I need to keep better records so I can tell how much it cost to make.
Till next time, Happy Canning
Moy