Several years ago I tried making some pickled okra...it turned out limp as wet noodles! This year I have a bumper crop of broccoli(and okra to come). Usually I freeze all of it in meal sized packets...but I'm trying to limit my additions to the freezer to keep plenty of room for the meat to come. Does anyone have a recipe for pickled broccoli and okra that turns out nice and CRISP?????Thanks in advance!

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), May 30, 1999

Answers

http://www.homecanning.com/forum/ is a terrific home canning forum that I found yesterday. Thought you might be interested. Good Luck!

-- flora (***@__._), May 30, 1999.

Dear Jeanne, You mentioned freezing okra.I've had no success.How do you do it ? Sorry I cannot help you with the pickled stuff.Want a receipe for proper English marmalade instead ?(not the citrus jam sold as in the States.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), May 30, 1999.

Don't know if this has been mentioned already, but here's the address of the canning corner of the Mrs. Doubleought's forum. It has a wealth of info:

http://www.mrssurvival.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=9

-- flora (***@___._), May 30, 1999.

Chris, my mom in CA used to put up marmalade every year for holiday gifts. I'd love it if you'd post your recipe. We lost most of our citrus crops due to the freeze here this past winter *sniff*

-- (***@__._), May 30, 1999.

For frozen okra: cut cross-ways into small "wheel shaped" pieces. Salt&pepper - or I actually use seasoned salt. Then shake all the pieces in a paper bag with a combination of flour and corn meal... or you can use the flour type corn meal - is it "masa"?? Then put into plastic bags, enough for one frying pan full... suck out the air and twist tie. This is frozen then; to use you don't have to thaw it out all the way, just enough to break apart the pieces. Careful that theres not too much ice/frost when you dump the pieces into a hot frying pan. (use a very coarse strainer or even a colander when seperating the coated okra pieces from the remaining flour/corn meal mixture) Another use for baby okra: brush tiny okra pieces with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and bake in very hot oven ...delicious!

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), May 30, 1999.

Don't know about okra BUT when grape leaves are added to pickles they stay much crisper. Might be worth an experiment- okra relish maybe.

EC

-- EC (JHnck1776@aol.com), May 30, 1999.

If the water is hard in your area it will make your pickels soft. Try boiling it for 10 or 15 min. before you use it to make any kind of pickels. When you put your pickels in the boiling water bath canner you start timing them right away, don't wait until the water comes back up to a boil. I made the mistake of letting the water come back up to a boil before timing and my pickels were cooked and they were very soft. Good Luck

-- Thinking (cancan@can.now), May 30, 1999.

Dear Jeanne, I hadn't thought of eating the okra.We use it as a natural gum in making repair tissue.It's marvellous at imparting a negative charge to all the fibres thus making an even sheet of tissue.

All part of our business contingency plans in case we cannot get size from the States.

But I'll certainly try cooking it ??????but I won't tell my husband until afterwards!

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), May 30, 1999.

Hello Chris in UK: Sounds as though you have okra that is fully matured(therefore VERY tough!) Don't eat it! If it is tender to a knife just past the stem, then it is tender enough to eat.

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), May 30, 1999.

Gee, now I'm really starting to feel sorry for the folks in the UK.

Priorities here at the Bear Den are: Weapons, Food, Shelter, Clothing, Okra. But not always in that order. Sometimes you just gotta have a big pot of boiled okra.

-Greybear

-- Got Corn Meal?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), May 30, 1999.

jeanne:

There are probably a lot of ways to do this. We find that treating with lime first does the trick. No recipe anymore, we now do it from experience. If you buy a bag of MS. [p.c.] Wages lime, the recipe on the bag will give you a starting point. You won't believe the difference.

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 31, 1999.

Chris,

I would love to have your marmalade receipe. Thanks!

mb in NC

-- mb (mdbutler@coastalnet.com), May 31, 1999.

It is difficult to reproduce traditional English Marmalade. In days past, they would collect the citris in Spain and float it in Med. sea water with other stuff for the trip back to England. Here is an approximation for oranges or grapefruits [I'm still working on ginger marmalade]. You can increase this by any amount.

4 oranges 2 lemons 2 1/2 cups water 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 box of powdered pectin [or natural equivalent] 6 1/2 c. sugar.

Remove skins from fruit. Shave off and discard at least half of the white skin. Slice remaining very thin. Add to water and soda. Simmer, uncovered for at least 20 min. Blend fruit and juice [sans seeds]. Add to peel and simmer, covered for at least 10 min. Do the rest of jelly making by your own experience.

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 31, 1999.

Addendum:

You should discard the soda water from the peels before adding the juice

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 31, 1999.

As an added note, I am working on ramp Marmalade. It is good but not yet ready for prime time

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 31, 1999.

Z mentioned a natural substitute for pectin.

What is it ? How can I make it ?

I've been trying for some time now to locate something that I can use if I can't get my hands on pectin.

-Greybear

-- Got Sugar?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), May 31, 1999.

Z: What is MS(pc)Wages lime????? I've never heard of it. Would it be in the canning section of a supermarket? Is it really lime, as in the lime some people put on their soil??

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), June 02, 1999.

Z: I am bumping this to the top in hopes of your answer about LIME. Thanks!!!

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), June 03, 1999.

At our local H.E.B. grocery store in the vinegar section they sell vinegar that is labeled especially for pickling which has a 9% acidity... the regular vinegar is 5% acidity... I have heard that the higher acidity helps in achieving a "crisper" pickle... so I have been stocking up on the 9% acidity vinegar... haven't tried it yet...

-- Texas Terri (DeepInTheHeart@Texas.com), June 03, 1999.