Pickled Tri-Color Beans, Okra, Green Cherry Tomatoes and Carrots

I love anything pickled! Well, except maybe for pickled pork feet and pickled eggs! One visit at a Farmers Market, I saw and bought some spicy pickled green beans. I fell in love with the crunchiness. After consuming the whole jar of these beans in one seating, I decided to call the vendor and ordered a box! The 10 jars lasted about....well, not very long!

It's been about 3 years since I saw that vendor again. Earlier this year, my husband and I visited Nellie's Crab Shack for lunch in SF. They served his crab sandwich with some pickled vegetables. I remember the okra and carrots. When I took my daughter there a few months ago, I ate more of her pickles!

Okay, now it has come to that point that I need to make my own since I now have a variety of vegetables I can pick freshly from my own garden. My husband bought me a box of pickling mason jars last year because I wanted to pickle some Meyer lemons but I never had the time. I am finally making use of the jars!

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh okra

1 lb tri-color beans (yellow, green and purple) or just green

2 large carrots

2 cups green cherry tomatoes

2 large jalapenos

1 1/2 cup Penzys Pickling Spice Mix

5 cups of white vinegar

4 cups of water

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup sea salt

3 1 quart mason jar

Wash the mason jars thoroughly with hot water and dry. Cut the tip ends of the okra and beans. Peel the carrots and cut about 3 inches lengthwise.Slice the jalapenos in strips. Boil in a pot the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Shake the pickling spice well inside a zip lock and pour 1/2 cup in each jar. Add about 5 strips of jalapenos in each jar. Divide the carrots, okra, beans and cherry tomatoes and stuff the jars. Pour about 2 cups or more of the hot brine and leave about 1 inch head space from the rim of the jar. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate.With this process, the pickled veggies will be good for 3 months.