When one thinks of vegetables to pickle, okra may not the first to come to mind. While okra is a staple of less common dishes like New Orleans gumbo, home cooks outside of the southern United States may not have as much experience with the tubular green fruit (and yes, okra is technically a fruit because it is a seed pod). Those in the know realize that pickled okra is a delicious snack, full of the vibrant crunch and pungent flavor you expect from other pickled treats. It's also possible that okra's reputation as a notoriously slimy food deters people from cooking or pickling it. However, it's very simple to keep pickled okra from getting slimy in the jar: just keep the okra pods whole when you pickle them.

Cutting or slicing okra pods exposes the insides to moisture, which increases the production of mucilage within. This slime can infiltrate the pickling brine, leading to a gooey texture throughout the jar. Keeping the okra whole minimizes this process. You can add peppers and garlic to the okra and brine from there -- just take a few extra steps to keep your pickled garlic from turning blue.

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Okra gets slimy when exposed to moisture because the mucilage found naturally in okra is a soluble sugar substance. Mucilage is a boon when using okra for a gumbo, as that slime acts as a thickening agent for the gumbo's broth, along with the gumbo's core flavor-building roux. The vinegar used for pickling actually reduces the slime quotient, as acids balance out the viscosity of the okra's mucilage, breaking it down.

A few extra steps beyond keeping okra whole will further lessen the presence of slime. When pickling okra, you want to select shorter pods. Not only will these pods be younger and therefore more tender, but the shorter okra will also generate less mucilage when manipulated. It's also important to keep the okra as dry as possible to lessen the development of slime. Rinse the pods and pat them dry with cloth or paper kitchen towels before adding to the pickling jar.

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