Pickled Okra

Couldn't resist some beautiful okra at a local Indian store. 5 # later I'm looking up recipes and wonder if you have any thoughts on pickling these beauties. So far, Sean Brock in his Heritage cookbook has the most interesting.

[Robin Garr]

Christina, we grow a little okra in our garden, and I love it in Cajun-style dishes and Indian recipes. I've never tried pickling it, though! (I've eaten commercially pickled okra and thought it was okay - one more kind of pickle in a wondrous variety.)

Hi, Christina. I pickled okra for years. My go to recipes are from an old book I got decades ago All About Pickling by Ortho books. I've made every kind of pickled okra from this book. My favorites are the Louisiana pickled okra. Hope this is useful to you.

Okra pickles.pdf

Thanks Jo Ann. I can see that I must make another batch. The recipe I used was a garlic, dill, hot pepper number with a much higher ratio of salt and a 15 min processing time ,,,,sob.....I expect them to not be crisp. Packed in quart jars might mitigate the flabby texture. I was flabbergasted at how after packing the jars tightly to the brim they shrunk leaving a good 1.5 inch of liquid space at the bottom. Not used to that with other pickled veg. I did not sort thru the offerings to get the smallest specimens. Do you use only small tenders ?
Thanks for the reference. I am developing a pickling recipe library for reference. I just hate to let any good thing from the garden go to waste.

No, I don't use the small tenders. I use fruit that's about 3" in length but tender enough that my thumbnail still breaks the skin. With these recipes my pickles have always been crisp and loaded with balanced flavor.