7/19/2019 – Mary trimmed the stems from fresh small okra pods from our garden. She stuffed them tightly into a wide-mouth pint jar with garlic chunks. On 7/23/2019 we tried them. They were crunchy and had a good flavor that was to some extent the taste of the fermenting but also the okra taste was there. We will make more. Also in this post is the 2nd ferment.

I made a 5% brine in 218 grams of water — totally arbitrary amount but enough to fill the jar with the okra. Added 1/2 of a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon of cayenne and mixed the pepper and salt until the salt was dissolved. Pour that kicked-up brine over the okra and put a fermenting lid on it.

That process was inspired by the following.

Aim for a brine that is 3%-5% salt.  We prefer the tang of a 5% brine, but 3% is still strong enough to kill the bad guys and let the good guys survive. Here’s how this method works.  Wash the okra and stuff it, along with garlic if you like, into your pint jar. Pack it in there really tight; you don’t want any pieces to float above the brine when you add it.  

[Add} any spices or seasonings you like – black pepper, cayenne, coriander, cumin, curry, garlic, ginger, and mustard all pair well with okra

Pour the brine over the okra, cover, and keep at room temperature for 2-4 days, until bubbles begin to form and the okra is as sour as you like it. Taste it after 2 days; if you like how it tastes, put it in the fridge.  If you want it to be more sour, give it another day or two before putting it in the fridge.  That’s it!  Lasts several months.

http://frogbottomfarm.com/2011/09/02/okra-four-ways/

Second Ferment

7/27/2019 – The first ferment turned out good and almost everyday we get 10-15 more small tender okra pods from the garden. We now have enough to make two pints so repeated the above process. Mary stuffed the jars and I mixed up about 500 gms of water with 25 gms of canning salt (5%) and 1/4 tsp of cayenne. Filled the jars and had about 1/3 of the spicy water left.