Refrigerator Pickled Okra Recipe

If you think okra is just for gumbo, think again! This tasty, refrigerator pickled okra, brought to you by recipe developer and wellness coach Miriam Hahn, will have you bringing out the mason jars to bottle up some pickled goodness. This quick pickling method is easy and only takes 3 days. "I love using a wide variety of vegetables in my daily cooking because they all offer a different collection of vitamins and minerals. Okra is chock full of magnesium, folate, Vitamin C, and fiber," Hahn says.

Okra tends to get a bad rap because it's known for being slimy, but when you pick fresh okra and use Hahn's pickling technique, you will enjoy the crunch and avoid the slime. When choosing okra at the store, Hahn says to look for small, bright green pods that are firm and free of any brown spots.

If you are not sure what to do once you have pickled your okra, Hahn says "hou can serve it with a sandwich or burger, just like you would a dill pickle. You can chop it up and enjoy it as a side dish, or even combine it with other fresh vegetables for a quick, cold salad."

To make pickled okra, you will of course need to pick up some fresh okra, along with garlic, bay leaves, fresh dill, white vinegar, sea salt (or any salt without iodine), sugar, and red pepper flakes. You can use any type of glass containers to do the pickling in, as long as they each have an air-tight lid. Hahn uses three 16-ounce, wide-mouth, glass mason jars. You can use the canning lids that mason jars come with, though Hahn offers an alternative: "You can swap the canning lids for the plastic lids, which makes the jars simpler to get in and out of."

Before adding the okra to the jars, you will first want to add a peeled garlic clove and bay leaf to each jar so they have a nice spot at the bottom of the jar. Now you are ready to fill the jars with the okra. "The best way to do this," Hahn explains, "is to alternate which end goes into the jar first. Put some in stem first, and some in end first. Pack the jars up with as many as you can fit into each jar."

Lastly, add a dill sprig to each jar. 

A good brine is key to pickling success, and this one is simple. Grab a medium pot and combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes — or until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Add the red pepper flakes and stir.

Now, carefully pour the hot mixture into each jar, leaving about ½ inch of room at the top so when they expand you don't have any brine overflow. Let the jars cool for about 30 minutes, then put the lids on and stick the jars in the fridge.

Let your jars sit in the fridge and do their pickling magic for at least 3 days. The waiting is the hardest part of this recipe, but after that, they are ready to serve up however you see fit. Hahn says, "Once you have pickled okra in your fridge, it will last for up to 2 months, so you can dip in anytime you need a crunchy snack or want to liven up an entrée or salad.