Pickled Vegetables

Although I'm notorious for telling everybody how much I love the winter, how the snow is my favorite type of weather, and how I am a "winter baby" because I was born in February, I'll admit I'm currently a bit sick of it. That is the reason why I drove to four different stores today to find the things I needed to make pickled vegetables. I needed something to get me out of this slump, and the thought of crisp, vinegary, and salt vegetables sounded like the perfect idea.

If I'm being completely honest, I didn't need to go to four different stores, but I needed to put some okra in my pickling jars, and nobody seemed to have it. After two hours and some good sleuthing skills, I finally got my hands on some, and I was ready to pickle!

I grabbed four brand new 12 oz canning jars, sterilized them in a hot water bath, and I was ready to stuff them with my vegetables. I chose to use onions, cucumbers, okra, garlic, and jalapenos. Along with the veggies, I used dill, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns to flavor the pickles. After packing the jars with veggies, it was time to add the liquid. For the pickling liquid, all you need are equal parts water and vinegar, and a decent amount of salt. I brought the liquids and salt to a boil in a larger pot, and then filled the jars with it, but not all the way to the brim. The only thing left to do was to seal the jars in another hot water bath, and my work was done!

The one annoying part of pickling is that there is no instant gratification, because you need to wait at least 1-2 weeks for the pickles for be ready to eat. So, in two weeks, I'm going to be a very happy girl. #elkinthekitchen

Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients
8 oz okra
1 large cucumber, in slices
1 large onion, quartered
8 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, each cut in half
8 sprigs dill
4 tsp mustard seed
4 tsp black peppercorns
2.5 cups apple cider vinegar
2.5 cups water
4 Tbsp kosher salt
4 12 oz canning jars

Directions
1. Sterilize jars and lids in a hot water bath
2. Fill each jar with 1/2 of a jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs dill, 1/4 of the onion, 1/4 of the sliced cucumber, 1/4 of the okra, and a tsp each of mustard seeds and black peppercorns.
3. Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
4. When the liquid has boiled, turn off heat, and ladle enough liquid into each jar to cover the vegetables, but not all the way to the brim. I left about a half of an inch, or an inch, of room at the top of the jars. Screw the lids on securely.
5. Once the lids are on the jars, you need to seal them by boiling in another hot water bath for 10 minutes. The lids should be a bit concave when they come out of the bath. If they are not, that means they did not fully seal, and the jars that did not seal you must keep in the refrigerator. Those jars will keep for about a week.
6. Let the jars that sealed properly sit for a week or two before you break into your pickles.