Did you know the name okra came with the vegetable from the Gold Coast of Africa during the slave trade, and is used interchangeably with the word gumbo, also of African origin? I learned this recently and will be researching gumbo recipes now for a future post!

In the meantime, I dug into my files and found chef Craig Deihl’s take on the furry pod. Known for his seasonal menus composed for the former Cypress Lowcountry Grille, Deihl is an advocate for animal pasturing and sustainable fishing, and was among the culinary notables tapped to contribute to One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish - The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook.

Chef Deihl's recipe for Pickled Okra follows. He recommends buying extra okra so you can enjoy it later in the year when it’s not available. It’s that good.

Ingredients

1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp.salt
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
4 allspice berries
1 tbsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
3 cups okra, washed (look for small, firm, green pieces)

Preparation

In a non-reactive pot combine all ingredients except the okra. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the okra and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and shock the pot in ice water to cool rapidly. Transfer the pickled okra to glass jars and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 week before using. The pickled okra will keep for about one month.