• 7 lbs small okra pods - fresh, crisp - not wilted, soft or overripe!
• 6 small hot peppers
• 4 tsp dill seed
• 8 to 9 garlic cloves
• 2/3 cup canning or pickling salt
• 6 cups water
• 6 cups vinegar (5%, apple cider vinegar works well.  Store brand is about $1.25 for a 64 oz bottle.
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) 
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page)
• Jar funnel ($2 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page)

• 1 large pots; teflon lined, glass or ceramic.
• Large spoons and ladles
• 1 Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at big box stores and grocery stores.).  Note: we sell many sizes and types of canners for all types of stoves and needs - see canning supplies
• Pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at grocery stores, like Safeway, Publix, Kroger, grocery stores, even online - about $9 per dozen jars including the lids and rings).  Be sure to get wide mouth jars to fit the pickles in!  Pint size works best! 
• Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.  They may only be used once.
• Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars.  They may be reused many times.

Step 1 - Selecting the okra

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality okra!  

At right is a of picture okra from my garden - it is SO easy to grow.

Step 2 - How much okra?

It takes about 1 lb of okra to fill a pint jar. 

Step 3 -Wash and cut the okra!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water.

You will need to cut the ends off (about 1/4-inch).

Step 4 - Get the jars and lids sanitizing

The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle.  I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!  It's also a good time to start heating up the water in the canner and the small pan of water to boil the lids.

 Lids:  put the very hot (but not quite boiling; around 180 F, steaming water is fine)
water for at least several minutes. Note: everything gets sanitized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)

Need lids, rings and replacement jars? 

Get them all here, delivered direct to your home,  at the best prices on the internet! 

Step 5 - Fill the jars with okra

Fill jars firmly with whole okra, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Step 6 - Add the Garlic

Place 1 garlic clove in each jar.

Step 7 - Mix and heat the other ingredients

Combine the salt, hot peppers, dill seed, water, and vinegar in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy.

Step 8 - Fill the jars with solution and put the lid and rings on

Pour hot pickling solution over okra, leaving 1/4 to 1/2-inch headspace. You will notice that it appears to be bubbling as the solution percolates down inside the okra, which have cavities.  You will need to wait a few minutes and add more solution. then seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around  them.  

Step 9 - Boil the jars in the canner

Put the jars in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Boil them for 10 minutes.  Remember to adjust for altitudes and larger jars - see the table below! 

Processing time for Pickled Dilled Okra in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
10 minutes	15 minutes	20 minutes

 

Step 9 - Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

When can you start eating the okra?  Well, it takes some time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles.  Generally, that's about 2 or 3 days!  Ah... the wait...

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

1. Jar lifting tongs 
           to pick up hot jars
2. Lid lifter 
           - to remove lids from the pot 
           of boiling water (sterilizing )
3. Lid 
          - disposable - you may only 
          use them once
4. Ring 
         - holds the lids on the jar until after
         the jars cool - then you don't need them
5. Canning jar funnel
         - to fill the jars

Type of pickling method