From the Archives: Okra Quick Pickle

Some time over the summer, before we tore apart the kitchen, I decided to try my hand at pickling okra. I know this because I found this photo lurking in an unpublished post: 

Careful forensic evidence reveals that this photo was taken on the old kitchen counter, while the kitchen was still lime green in sections. I also recall being inspired by some pickled okra we had at Loretta’s Last Call (otherwise unmemorable except for the pitchers of sweet tea) before a game at Fenway on the Fourth of July. So I imagine I threw some early okra in a jar back when the okra was just starting and we couldn’t harvest enough to eat or freeze in a decent-sized batch yet. 

I also found a cryptic note to myself reading "old horseradish brine, vinegar, water, dill, peppercorn, garlic” under the photo.

So, to the best of my knowledge, here’s what happened. I used a jar that had recently been emptied of its horseradish pickles and tossed in three pods of okra, in what can only be described as the laziest pickling move ever. I assume I added a fresh head of dill and a few whole peppercorns for flavor. I guess I also topped it off with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar? 

Anyway, it was still in the back of the fridge today. Now that the kitchen is closing in on being actually done, we’re able to get at some projects that have been on the back burner for months. 

Let’s pause to enjoy the progress, shall we?

Ah … a sink and a dishwasher. What could be better?

We also finished the backsplash this holiday weekend, though we didn’t get a chance to get the range hood fully operational yet. 

But back to the okra pickles. 

When I cracked open the mysterious jar from the back of the fridge, there was no sign of bubbly fermentation, so these were, indeed, just a quick pickle in brine that had been previously boiled (like, a year previous). I decided to test the smallest pod:

It was good! It tasted like a classic dill pickle, but with the teensy bit of okra slime. That’s not a very appealing word choice, but it’s accurate: Okra in all forms is a bit of an acquired taste. I’m not sure if the pickling would be good for the big pods (though there’s a giant one in there still to taste), but I bet little ones will make great table pickles. 

Despite my utter neglect, this experiment turned out to be a success, and maybe next year we’ll add okra to the list of things we pickle around here.