Impromptu Refrigerator Okra Pickles?

[BreezyCooking]

Okay - I fully admit that I'm not a big preserver, but do enjoy hot, spicy pickles.

Today my market had some gorgeous fresh okra, & I picked up some to add to a pseudo-jambalaya I plan to toss together tonight. I bought a few extra & was wondering if I could just wash them, cut a few long slits in them, & toss them into a commercial jar of extremely HOT dilly beans I have in the fridge. I'm down to the last bean or 2 in that jar, & the brine is extremely vinegary & has a couple of Habenero peppers in it as well.

Do you think this is something I could try without poisoning myself?

 

[carolelaine]

Yes, I usually can mine in a hot water bath, but as long as you eat them fairly soon they will be ok. I do that with hot pepper from the garden that I'm going to use soon. The only problem with the okra is it doesn't really develop the hot pickled taste unless it sits for 5 or 6 weeks.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Sounds like a winner for a refrigerator pickle. Just wash the okra and pack into the jar ... if there isn't enough liquid to cover them completely, just add a little more distilled white or cider vinegar and shake to mix everything up. Give them 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator to cure ...

 

[Gretchen]

I would be pretty sure you must cook them before putting them in the brine.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Actually, Gretchen - no. These are a pickle and they are packed raw without blanching or anything else other than washing and trimming the stem end a bit if it needs it to remove any stem. They are best of only 3.5-4 inches long (tender and crisp) but I have had some that were 5-inches long that were not too tough.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Thanks guys - I've separated the really small ones from the slightly larger ones & will put the smaller ones in the "pickle" jar, & the use the larger ones in my jambalaya (which was moved over to tomorrow night's dinner).

Oh, & Michael is correct, Gretchen. All the recipes I have for pickled okra - like the ones I have for all other pickled vegetables - have the raw vegetables just washed well in cold water, packed into jars, with the hot brine poured over. No blanching or cooking at all.

 

[Gretchen]

That is interesting. So just putting raw okra in cold brine will be OK? I can see a "fresh pack" pickle with hot brine and/or processing in a water bath, which will somewhat cook/tenderize/blanch the okra--which I have done long years ago. But thought the raw okra might need some help in the cold brine. I guess not.

 

[shpj4]

I can't eat spicy food at all. I wish I could but my stomach won't let me.

Have a wonderful day.

Jill and Jolie

 

[BreezyCooking]

Okay - I picked out the smallest cutest little okra pods (none needed any trimming), rinsed them well under cold running water, cut 4 long slits in each, & managed to stuff 8 into the commercial hot dilly bean jar. They're completely covered, so didn't need to add extra vinegar.

I've marked 2 weeks on my calendar & will start taste testing then & report back!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Gretchen - I know what you are thinking about and I see where you are coming from - and what you suggested is absolutely right for canning pickled okra by the fresh/raw pack method ... but Breezy is just making a quick refrigerator pickle (not intended for true fermenting or prolonged storage).

 

[Gretchen]

I understand, but I am still wondering if it will work with absolutely no heat being used on the raw vegetable,particularly as fibrous as okra (young even) is. I will be interested, as I said.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Impromptu Okra Pickles

I promised to report back here after 2 weeks, & here I am. Tonight I ate one of the okras I stuffed into my leftover jar of hotter-than-heck commercial habenero green-bean pickle brine.

It was FABULOUS!!!! Hot as heck, but still crisp & with no okra "slime". Even better than the commerical pickled okra I sometimes buy.

If I end up with food poisoning tomorrow, I'll leave a note for someone to let you guys know not to try it, but it's been 4 hours & I still feel just fine!!

 

[Half Baked]

We'll be waiting to hear from you tomorrow!

I love dilly beans and if the okra wasn't slimey, I would enjoy those too.