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A lot of people I know won?t eat okra. They have difficulty dealing with the internal liquid of the okra. I?ve never had this problem and when okra is in season, it becomes one of the staples of my diet. I?ve experimented with a number of different ways of preparing it. One of my favorites is pickling. My dear grandson, Daniel, loves my pickled okra, so on his birthday in December, I always save one of my jars of pickled okra for him as a birthday present.

Okra is now coming into season here in northern California, and you?ll be able to get it in the Saturday Farmers? Market. So, here?s an easy way of preparing it.

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs. small okra pods
4 large jalape?os, cleaned and quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cups H2O
3 cups vinegar
1/3 cup coarse salt
2 TBSP mixed pickling spices
1/2 stick cinnamon for each jar

The Process

This should make about 4 or 5 pint jars. Heat your jars in your large canning pot brought to a boil. Pack your okra, garlic and pepper slices into the hot and clean jars. Allow 1/4 inch head room. Combine the H2O, salt, vinegar, & spices in a smaller pot and bring to a boil. Allow to boil about 5 minutes. Pour the liquid into each jar, preserving the head room and seal with your jar lids that have been soaking in the hot water. Process the sealed jars in your canning pot for 15 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

[tags]pickled okra recipe[/tags]