Pickled Okra

I'm in a pickling mood these days, especially since the pickled jalapenos worked so well!  We had some tender okra, so I decided to pickle some.  The spices in this are a little different from the jalapenos, but they work well with the okra- I really like the flavor of dill seeds in it.  Anyhow, the pickled okra make a great snack and stay well as long as you refrigerate them.  You can also reuse the liquid.  Once you finish a batch of the okra, you can boil the liquid again and just pour it over more okra.

Ingredients

1-2 pequin peppers (optional, if you want it spicy)

15 okra, rinsed well (small and tender ones are best)

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 carrot, sliced (optional)

1/2 cups water

1/2 cups white vinegar

2 tsp salt (I used sea salt)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 whole bay leaves

1 tsp dill seeds

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp whole coriander seeds

Directions

1.  Place the whole okra, pequin peppers, garlic, and carrots in a large glass jar.

2.  In a small saucepan, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil on med-high heat.  Turn the heat down to med and simmer for 5 mins.

3.  Pour the pickling juice into the glass jar.  Let it cool, then cover tightly and refrigerate for at least a week (I shake it every day to mix it up).