Southern Comfort

Well friends, it's official, I am a southern gal now because tonight I made my first batch of pickles and pickled okra!  I have been craving a Short Hills Deli half-sour pickle for days now and I decided to do a little Pinterest research which ended with me spending way too much money on cans and mini cucumbers at Publix.  I am hoping that all of my efforts were not in vain but unfortunately, I won't know the results of my pickling extravaganza until tomorrow night (the pickles and okra need at least a day in the juice before they are ready to eat).  I stuck pretty closely to a recipe I found here on one of my new favorite blogs, JJ Begoina.  I decided to skip the hot pepper flakes and instead, added the tiniest bit of allspice to them.  The final recipe is as follows:



Ingredients:

• 7 cups Filtered Water
• 1 cup Distilled White Vinegar
• 4 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 3 - 4 Cloves Garlic per Jar
• 1 Stem Fresh Dill per Jar
• 15 Whole Black Peppercorns per Jar
• 1 Bay Leaf per Jar
• 1 - 2 Allspice Berries per Jar
• Enough Mini Cucumbers/Okra to fill a Canning Jar

Instructions:

• Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil, allowing the salt to dissolve.  Set aside and allow to cool completely (hot brine means mushy pickles).
• Fill canning jars with garlic, dill, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves.  Place sliced cucumbers or whole okra on top of spices then pour in cooled brine.
• Lightly cover jars with napkin and allow to sit at room temperature overnight.
• Remove napkin and seal jars.  Store in refrigerator for an additional 1 - 3 days.  Once opened, goodies are best consumed within a week.