Pickled Okra

When I was looking for a recipe to make canned Brandied Peaches, I found the recipe I ended up using at Food & Wine, courtesy of Linton Hopkins.  Those peaches were amazing.  So, now if it's pickled, brined, or canned, I think I'll just turn there first...

Which is where I found the inspiration for spicy pickled okra, again, courtesy of Linton Hopkins...  I didn't follow that recipe exactly, because I already had pickling spice on hand it's comprised of most of what goes into his recipe...  So, I'll write this post on how I made it, though I would recommend going to his recipe for the real deal.

Spicy Pickled Okra


Ingredients
1 lb okra, trimmed (which apparently means slicing off the top of the caps and anything else to make them fit)
8 small red dried chili peppers
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/2 c water

Instructions
Pack the okra, chili peppers, and garlic evenly into two sterilized pint jars.  You'll have to stuff them a bit to make it fit.

Combine the pickling spice, vinegar, and water in a medium saucepot and heat to a boil over high heat.  When liquid mixture is boiling, turn off the heat and use a ladle to transfer the liquid over the okra in the pint jars.  Leave 1/2 inch at the top for head space.  Wipe the mouth of the jars and place the lids and rings on top to close.

Place both jars into a large stockpot and cover with water.  Bring water to boiling and the continue to boil the jars for 10 minutes.  Remove the jars from the pot and let cool to room temperature.

Makes two pints, and they'll be good for a year...  If you wait that long to make a bloody mary with them...