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Southern Okra and Tomatoes

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"My okra and tomatoes recipe is a full-bodied adaptation of a Southern recipe a good friend of mine from North Carolina shared. I wanted to create this beautifully flavored recipe in a jar so I could pop a top anytime I needed some warming up in the dead of winter. Serve as a side to any meal or heat and eat it as a stew."

List of Ingredients

◦ 6 slices bacon
◦ 1 medium sweet onion, chopped (1 cup)
◦ 2 celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
◦ 5 cloves garlic, minced
◦ 64 (3-inch) okra pods, chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces (8 cups)
◦ 6 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (6 cups)
◦ 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
◦ 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
◦ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦ 8 tablespoons bottled lemon juice


Recipe

This recipe is hot packed, so have clean jars resting in hot water.

In a large stockpot, fry the bacon over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. Keeping the bacon fat in the stockpot, add the onion, celery, and garlic. Stir and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the okra, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt (if using), and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to every quart and 1 tablespoon to every pint. Using a funnel, ladle the hot okra mixture into the jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional mixture if necessary to maintain the 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Fill the pressure canner with 3 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Place the jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process quarts for 20 minutes and pints for 15 minutes.

After the processing time has been reached, turn off the heat. Allow the pressure in the canner to reach zero on its own, which usually takes about 30 minutes. Safely remove the canner lid and allow the jars to sit for 10 minutes inside the canner before removing.

Makes 4 quarts or 8 pints