Canning Day

The afternoon rain was a bit of a surprise. But for canning class, we needed tender, young okra. (As it grows, okra becomes woody. Pickled okra should be tender and as fresh as possible.) So we drove to the garden and harvested tender okra in the rain.

Upon returning to the kitchen, the canning jars were already on the rack and steaming. We learned that the jars should be warm to start with. So, the clean jars should be placed on a rack above simmering water.

We also made brine. The particular mixture of vinegar, salt, and water is acidic enough to discourage bacteria growth. The brine is heated, but not to boiling.

With pots simmering, we set to cleaning and chopping the vegetables. The bustle of a busy kitchen on canning day was its own kind of delight.  

These pickled okras would be paired with garlic, peppers, and dill seeds. We packed the prepared vegetables into the jars and put them back on the rack.

We learned when adding brine, it’s important to not fill the jars to the brim. We also learned to wipe off any residue on the rims of the jars to ensure nothing interferes with sealing.

Lids on, we lowered the jars into the water. We had to add more boiling water to to the pot to make sure that the water covered the jars completely.

When the water was boiling, we left the jars to process for ten minutes in the boiling water. At the end of ten minutes, we set the jars to cool and started cleaning up. That’s when we heard the pinging of the sealing lids. The canning worked!

Now we must wait two weeks before we can see how they taste. Agony.