Pickled Okra

[jinman]

Oh, no, you're doing it all wrong.:shocked::laughing: Of course, they're easier to shell, but I prefer the smaller green peas and plenty of snaps; better flavor.. . .
. . . But I do agree with you about the bloom stems.:laughing:

Bird, I love snaps in my peas. For shelling, I'm talking about blackeyes that are green, but just before turning yellow. When the pods turn yellow/white, the peas inside will be very white with dark black eyes. I like them that way too, but they dry out too quickly if you try to let all of them get that way. When I snap the end off the pea, I want that string to zip all the way up the pea pod and make it easily open while shelling. I just don't want to have to wrestle with the pod to get the peas out.

After I pick my shellin' peas, I go back down the row and pick a nice big handfull of snaps that I can do all at once. We used to sell blackeyes by the bushel when I was a kid, and we'd always ask if they wanted snaps. If they said yes, we gave them a bag of snaps separately. So, I've always kept my shellin' peas and snaps separate. Recently, I picked a nice handfull of snaps and put them into my bucket. Kathy took the peas to the house and washed them because some of them had a few aphids on them. When I went to shell peas, I asked her where my snaps were. She said she saw my bundle of "baby" peas and didn't realize what they were. She just mixed them up with the other peas. I think I made a comment about the quality of "help" these days, and sure enough, I get to pick all the peas now.:laughing:

My preference for purple hulls is to let the pod get almost solid purple before I pick it. The purple hull pods are much more "meaty" than blackeyes if they aren't mature in my opinion. My purple hulls have almost stopped making peas while the blackeyes are still going strong. I shelled and Kathy blanched and vacuum packed almost a gallon of shelled peas yesterday.

BTW: Bird, I used to buy canned blackeyes with snaps in a Minyard store in Grand Prairie. I think they were a store brand, maybe. However, other companies like Bush's and Ranch Style have gotten into the market. I really like the Ranch Style Blackeyes with the jalapenos in them. They aren't as good as homegrown, but they'll do in a pinch.

 

[Bird]

In spite of their popularity, I've just never grown, nor bought, any purple hull peas. For the snaps, I've never picked my peas separately. And I have found some canned black-eyed peas with snaps, but there were very few snaps in a can and the peas themselves were all very mature, if not from dried.

When I was a kid, okra was my primary money crop, and my two sisters picked and sold black-eyed peas. I also sold plums and we all picked up and sold pecans.

 

[jinman]

Every week, we have neighbors over to watch several segments of the Planet Earth series in Blu-ray. Today, one of our snacks was the new pickled okra. Both neighbors loved the Member's Mark brand, confirming that it wasn't just me that liked it.:thumbsup:

 

[Eagleview]

It's funny how you can read something wrong , I saw the title and thought YUCK , Pickled killer whale .

 

[Bird]

:laughing:I don't know, but pickled orca might be good, although I'd probably prefer mine fried or smoked.:laughing:

 

[Jstpssng]

I was thinking about posting a question about pickling okra and here was this thread. So, almost every time I make pickled okra the pickling liquid ends up below the top of the pods. I figure that's because of the air pockets in the pods. Anyone know a trick to prevent that? Maybe just poking a hole in each pod?

Back to the original.....

Does it say on the jar where it's made? I bought some marinated mushrooms at Sam's a while back and really enjoyed them until I saw the jar said Made in China. I'm not too much of a nut on imported foods, but Chinese marinated mushrooms worried me because I know what we use to grow mushrooms here.

Chuck

I've always enjoyed steak and mushrooms, and my favorite pizza is- er, was mushroom pie. Now I order pepperoni or hamburg pizza, and the only time I eat steak & mushrooms iss when chantrelles are in season. (Ending right about now)

 

[jinman]

It's funny how you can read something wrong , I saw the title and thought YUCK , Pickled killer whale .

Well, I've heard it called pickled "Oprah," but never pickled "orca." That's a new one on me.:laughing:

 

[dpdial]

Typically the Member's Mark brand at Sam's is the same product(by same manufacturer) as the most popular brand sold at Wal-Mart just packaged differently. Not to be confused with Great Value brand which is different as well. If you want to get the best product at the best price Member's Mark is your best bet.

 

[Jstpssng]

It's funny how you can read something wrong , I saw the title and thought YUCK , Pickled killer whale .

Don't knock it until you try it. :grin:
I've never had that species, but really do like pickled herring. :thumbup:

 

[Bird]

Don't knock it until you try it. :grin:
I've never had that species, but really do like pickled herring. :thumbup:

I don't think I've ever eaten any pickled herring; in fact, I don't think I've ever even seen any. But I do like kippered herring.:thumbsup:

 

[Alan L.]

You guys are making me hungry. I love okra fried and boiled, never tried it pickled. Do you pickle the stem end too that you normally would not eat?

 

[Bird]

Do you pickle the stem end too that you normally would not eat?

Yes, you do not want to cut into the pod until after they're pickled. Of course, you can use a knife and fork, but when I eat'em, I just bite them off right at the stem and throw that little stem piece away.

 

[Jstpssng]

I don't think I've ever eaten any pickled herring; in fact, I don't think I've ever even seen any. But I do like kippered herring.:thumbsup:

Maybe it's a New England thing. All I knoe is that kt's mighty tasty

 

[Alan L.]

Yes, you do not want to cut into the pod until after they're pickled. Of course, you can use a knife and fork, but when I eat'em, I just bite them off right at the stem and throw that little stem piece away.

Ok, thats the same thing I do for boiled okra. I wouldn't want to eat it improperly.....

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Okra, well, we eat it microwaved. We wash the pods, dry them, and then put them in the microwave and nuke them. Then we eat them the same way Bird does the pickled ones.

Of course you have to like the taste of okra because nuking them kicks that flavor into overdrive. The other thing is they are best when they're fresh and small. We grow our own and right now they are producing like crazy, okra loves this heat and it being dry.

We just made up a bunch of bread and butter pickles. Almost half of them were made from lemon cucumbers. They're shaped and almost colored like lemons. But they're sweeter and more tender than regular cucumbers. Some of them we canned with jalopenas, spicey bread and butter pickles, yummy!

Our cucumbers are slacking off because of the heat. The grasshoppers are getting more tomatoes than we are. We didn't get hardly any squash or zuccini this year because of the squash bugs. But the okra? Okra is going like crazy, that's a good thing.

 

[jinman]

Ok, thats the same thing I do for boiled okra. I wouldn't want to eat it improperly.....

Pickled okra is different from boiled okra. With pickled okra, you bite it off at the stem and chew it. With boiled okra, you bite it off at the stem and it slides down your throat all by itself.:laughing:

I never met an okra pod I didn't like.:thumbsup:

 

[Chuck52]

The stem end is the best part of pickled okra! Nice and chewy!

Chuck

 

[txdon]

Nowhere does it say this product is sourced in China. It does say that this is a Kosher product.

Jim when I saw the word Kosher and China I was thinking I had see those words together before on my used apple juice barrels.

Are the pickled okra fuzzy?

 

[jinman]

Are the pickled okra fuzzy?

Don, I wouldn't call them fuzzy, but I would definitely call the texture of the pod as velvety. Fresh new okra pods have a tiny fuzz when picked fresh, but that's not the same texture as the pods after pickling in my opinion.

 

[Bird]

I know Bird likes pickled okra and he doesn't live very far from a Sam's Club in Lewisville, TX.

Yep, Jim, and I finally went shopping for several things there today, but this Sam's Club didn't even have any pickled okra. Since my wife won't eat it, a half gallon would sure be a lot for me, but I'd have bought it anyway if they'd had it. I guess it's just as well for me to buy the pints.