Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

A very famous old Southern recipe is Okra, Corn and Tomatoes.  Especially when everything is fresh out of the garden, it cannot be beat!!

It is simple and if served fresh it is best with just a little salt and maybe a little water to loosen it up a bit.  This can also be used as a good starter for any soup as well.

In fact, this recipe almost did not make it into the contest.  While I was making it my husband and  various other farmhands came into the the kitchen and demanding that it be served for dinner that night with milk and cornbread!!

Okra - about 1 pound
Tomatoes - about 1& 1/2 dozen
Corn - 4 good sized ears
Onion slices - 1/2 Vidalia or any sweet onion
Water - about 1 cup
1/2 teaspoon salt per pint jar or 1 teaspoon per quart
Clean Jars hot jars

Now this recipe MUST to be canned in a Pressure Canner!!  The jars will seal, but you will not have the proper PH level to keep from getting mold or botulism.  This website explains the FDA's PH level and proper food preparation requirements really well (they give you the link back to the FDA too) so here is their link:http://www.pickyourown.org/ph_of_foods.htm

The whole website of http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm is a great resource as well.  I got turned onto it looking for a place to pick peaches, blueberries, etc. but they have all sort of information (how to can, what can be canned, recipes, etc.) that has been VERY useful!

• Peel and chop ripe tomatoes.

OK, now that seems easy enough, but by the time you get to your 5th tomato you will get really sick of peeling tomatoes.  So here is a time saving trick.  Take a sharp knife and make a slit in the skin of a whole tomato then drop it into a pot of boiling water (see pic #2) and leave it there for 1 minute.  Then immediately drop it into a bowl of ice water.  The skins will then slid right off!!!

• Slice 1/2 quantity of of okra and corn (if you have a full bowl of tomatoes you want 1/2 bowl of okra & 1/2 bowl of corn).* +
• Boil chopped tomatoes for 20 minutes.

Slap human farmhands out of the kitchen.

• Add okra and corn and boil for another 10 minutes.
• What you can wrestle away from the family, you will pack into jars - see pic 6 & next step...

* Cut the head and tail off of the okra (see pic #3) and slice and rinse.  Do not be alarmed when the okra starts to make it's own "glue".  It is a natural thickener, and cannot be washed away that I know of, if you do please tell me in the comments.

+ To cut the corn I use a corn cob holder, deep pot, and a sharp knife [be careful] (see pic #4 & 5).  I slice down the cob to get the kernels and the milk.  This also can be used for cream of corn (just add butter, salt, pepper, and flour if needed)

• Add a slice of onion to each hot jar and a 1/2 teaspoon to a pint or 1 teaspoon to a quart of salt  (see pic 3)
• Pack your hot mixture into your jars leaving 1inch of head space and make sure to wipe your rims or else your jars will not seal.
• Place lids on your jars
  • Simmer your lids on a low heat in water until bubbles appear on the lids (this will be on most manufacture's directions)  (see pic 4)
• For canning by the pint, process at 10 pounds pressure for 30 minutes, for quarts - 35 minutes.

Please note the only 2 jars were canned, the rest was served for dinner.  (see pic 5)

Even though gardening and canning is a lot of work when you finally finished with the season you have plenty to show for your efforts and you can add this recipe to the rest in the pantry.  See pics #6 & 7.

If you like this Instructable, please don't forget to vote for it in the Canning Contest!  Thank you!!