It won’t be much longer when the long, hot days of July and August will bring us some delicious okra. I think it’s one of my favorite vegetables. Fried, in stews or gumbo it can’t be beat. I know not everyone loves the texture but I sure love the taste. Here is one of my favorite ways of preparing this summer time veggie. Fermented Okra Pods.
I stopped using vinegar in pickles and pickled veggies a long time ago. I like fermented foods so much more than foods pickled with vinegar. And these okra pods are crunchy not soft or slimy!
Don’t let the word “fermented” throw you. The vegetables aren’t rotten and they aren’t stinky. They are lightly fermented, a little effervescent and totally yummy. Here’s my fermenting okra from the 2024 garden:
Here’s the recipe:
First make your brine using 1 cup of pure water and 2 teaspoons of sea salt, set aside. You might want to make about 1/2 cup extra in case 1 cup doesn’t cover everything, so for that use 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
Wash however many small pods of fresh okra you can fit in a pint jar, and put them in a clean jar. Leave the stem ends on, this helps the pods keep their shape and not become soft.
To the jar add:
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dry dill seed or a part of a seed head
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a small onion, sliced thinly
Pour the brine over the ingredients in the jar. Cover loosely with a lid and let this sit out on a countertop for 3 – 10 days, Open it daily and after 3 days you can check the taste. When it tastes tangy enough, cover it and refrigerate it. It will last a couple of months in the fridge.
Last year we were able to make this using the okra, onions and garlic we grew!
