Jon's Pickles

 



Jon's Pickles

After Jon mentioned pickling okra, I asked him for his recipe. He copied a page from a cook book that also included a recipe for Dilly Beans. I was pleased to see that, because I had tried making Milly's Dillies after Sandy hunted down her recipe in a box of recipe cards for me. Unfortunately, that  recipe was a bust. Jon says, "The dilly beans recipe has never failed me and I have given away and shared many a pint of them." He sends us recipes as follows:

Pickled Okra:

3-1/2# small okra pods

1/2 C. salt

3 small hot peppers

2 tsp. dill seed

1 clove garlic

1 quart water

1 pint vinegar

Pack the okra in hot jars, leaving 1/4" head room. Put one garlic clove in each jar. Bring the brine to a boil and cover the okra, leaving 1/4" head room. Place the lids then process for 10 minutes. Makes 4 to 5 pints.

Through my two experiences with making okra pickles, I found the following: 4 1/2 lbs will make 12 to 12 1/2 pint (equivalents) of canned product.  (I quit using pint jars after 4 during the first batch, & switched to large-mouth quart jars.)  Fresh dill is best, & for the okra, I used standard garlic cloves & jalapeño peppers sliced into rounds (about 4 to a quart jar).  They need to be left for a couple of weeks after making for the flavors to 'meld.'

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a pint to a long-time friend here in the county; he took it to a dinner party of the widow of another friend, and the three of them ate it all.  I then gave him another pint (offered a quart) to take on the 3-day yacht club cruise of last weekend, and he served it both nights, and I've received positive feedback.

Dilly Beans

2# trimmed green beans

1/4 C. salt

4 heads of fresh dill

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp cayenne powder

2-1/2 C. vinegar

2-1/2 C. water

Pack the beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving 1/4" head. To each pint, add 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 1 clove of garlic, and 1 head of dill. Combine the salt, vinegar, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the beans, dislodge any bubbles, and adjust the caps. Process for 10 minutes. Makes four pints.

Good luck, jl