I decided I like fresh Okra
 

I never liked Okra. I had a friend who kept pestering me to grow some dwarf okra. She sent me seeds. I gave the first batch she sent away here.

She found out. She sent me more seeds. I decided to grow two of the seeds to appease her.

I had my first fresh okra yesterday right off the plant. I LOVED it. I actually saved some so I can grow a bunch of it next year. I found that when i eat it fresh off the plant it isn't as slimy as frozen Okra.

I am always nagging my students to try new foods. I can't believe I was so against okra. I really like it now. I'll be growing a lot next year.

Yes ma'am. It's particularly tasty (and not slimy) if you sautee it. I like to brown it in an iron skillet (rolling it around to brown all around). It's also good pickled (again, not slimy).

Yum that sounds delicious. I think I'll try it in a skillet next year. It's like a cucumber with crunchiness but better.

Another convert! Great day in the morning!

I just can't get passed the slim to even being to think about trying it. My Dad would love it if I did grow it, besides it is just too strange looking to grow.....LOL (childhood, would never eat anything strange looking due to too many horror movies...)

Jan - trust me! Try it! We had a friend over for dinner and I sauteed up this okra and he was very surprised. I learned to eat it this way at a health retreat I went to. I'd never had it that way before.

Ms. Jennifer - you don't have to wait until next year! I buy a bag frozen. I actually saute it up frozen. Don't let it thaw. At the health retreat I went to, they had cooking classes. The chef taught us that if you cook it from frozen, it won't get slimy.

Jan
I was anti okra for many years. I really only grew it to make my friend stop nagging me. I can't eat it too cooked, because I need the crunchy texture to like it. It is something I will grow and eat raw. I think I'll even put it in salads. For some reason when it is raw I don't find it so slimy. And yeah it is weird lookin', LOL

Okra is beautiful! It's in the same plant family as hibiscus and mallows, with the same kind of gorgeous flowers. It doesn't get hot enough to grow big plants at my garden site, but one year I grew some 3 ft. plants in a warmer area.

I love it raw, but as a cooked vegetable it goes well with tomato sauce and garbanzo beans.

Habitat gardener, I didn't know it was related to hibiscus. That would explain the beautiful flowers. I enjoyed them. I love growing ornamental hibiscus of different types.

I really cant believe folks dont know it is kin to the hibiscus.:(

If you put a dash of vinegar in okra when you cook it it wont be slimy.
If you put okra in a kettle with a little water and bring to a boil then turn off and remove from the heat it is fantastic.
Don't over cook and let it stay that fresh green color.

If you over cook okra it is fantastic.
I like cold cooked okra out of the fridge with salt and pepper on it.
Boo Boo loves okra.
If it is slimy it is fantastic.
I like okra raw, pan fried with or without breading.
I like it pickled.
I like okra art.
I like okra.

If I was dictator it would be on the flag.
It would be required to grow in every yard.
People would be required to eat okra at least 4 times a week.

I love okra.:love::love::love::love::love:

Worth

/me gives worth his official "Sam I Am" stickpin.

I like okra too, but I prefer it fried or else used in soups and stews.

DarJones

Fried, Okra takes on a different crunch... Kind of like fried chicken. Fried okra with or without breading along with mashed potatoes Mmmm Mmmm !

The frozen okra breaded or not is one of those small wonders. If you find a good company that picks it before it gets stringy it is like having a little bit of summer all winter long.

It is also pretty awesome when fried along with green tomatoes.

As someone said above, It also makes a great pickle !


I really do hope that now you've tried it, you will try the frozen instead of waiting until next year.

i'm "folks"
 

[QUOTE=Worth1;290585]I really cant believe folks dont know it is kin to the hibiscus.:(

[/QUOTE]

LOL@ Worth

I'm "folks" since I really didn't know that about okra. I'm educated but I'm not necessarily "smart" hahahaha

Dar,

I'm going to try the okra in chili. Someone suggested that to me here a while ago.

John- I don't know about frozen, I'm kind of afraid, especially here in the North where a lot of people don't eat it so much. I'll try to get a brand recommendation from someone who eats it.

For those of you who have not seen the Okra flower, here is a recent stunner from my garden. They will never be ornamental flowers because they are open only a couple of hours.

scott

that okra flower would be worth growing just for that bloom!!!!!! Even if it is only for a few hours, such a beauty.

I'm gonna go and look for some okra seeds, are there varieties in okra like there are in tomatoes?

Any suggestions on the best ones to try and where to purchase from?

[QUOTE=jennifer28;290632] John- I don't know about frozen, I'm kind of afraid, especially here in the North where a lot of people don't eat it so much. I'll try to get a brand recommendation from someone who eats it. [/QUOTE]

Helooooo!!! Me in the North! And me recommend buying it frozed! :yes: Frozen - sautee it up frozen. Yummo. Oh - and any ole brand'll do.

[QUOTE=meadowyck;290684] Any suggestions on the best ones to try and where to purchase from? [/QUOTE]

Jan - one of the companies I bought tomato seeds from sent me okra seeds as my gift seeds to try. I think it was blueribbon, I haven't tried them yet because I was swamped with toms and flowers, etc.

[QUOTE=Worth1;290585]
I like okra raw, pan fried with or without breading.
I like it pickled.
I like okra art.

Worth[/QUOTE]

Too funny Dr. Suess, I mean Worth! One year at a craft fair in the park, I bought a bunch of okra-painted-as-santa-clause Christmas Tree ornaments! They were very cute!!

I love it pickled too, btw, and love even more that you can buy it in the grocery store on the shelf already pickled! :lol: I like the crunchier okra so I'm not into having it in soups and stuff, although it's just fine in gumbo.

[QUOTE=meadowyck;290684]scott

that okra flower would be worth growing just for that bloom!!!!!! Even if it is only for a few hours, such a beauty.

I'm gonna go and look for some okra seeds, are there varieties in okra like there are in tomatoes?

Any suggestions on the best ones to try and where to purchase from?[/QUOTE]

Local Harvest has quite a few varieties to chose from they even have burgundy okra.

Okra cross pollinates very easily.

[URL]http://www.localharvest.org/store/vegetable-seeds.jsp?q=okra[/URL]
[url]http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=okra%20seeds&source=web&cd=20&ved=0CJ8BEBYwEw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reimerseeds.com%2Fokra_601.aspx&ei=YuX-T9SmN4LE2wXz7djWBA&usg=AFQjCNG_-IXgqm6iFDuNAL4_Xqgj-irv4A&cad=rja[/url]


Worth

My grandma has grown okra for the farmer's market for about 30 years. It is labor-intensive, because you have to pick it nearly every day. The small pods are the best, and if you don't pick them frequently, the plant puts its energy in making the big pods bigger, instead of making new pods. Okra lasts at least a week in the fridge; we pick every day and sell on Saturday. Unfortunately, we have no Okra this year due to the drought. This is the first time in 30 years that we did not have a big okra crop, and we have never irrigated. Okra is from Africa, likes it hot and can typically tolerate dryness. But not this year.

I like fried Okra if it's fresh and fried in "Pop's Chuck Wagon Onion Ring Batter." A crispy batter is the key.

We love okra -- unfortunately root knot nematodes do too. For those of you who are not aware, it might well be the most susceptible RKN vegetable one can grow. Thus if you have or suspect that you might have RKNs, growing it is one sure way to find out -- or make you wish you never had planted it.

Jerry, Would you mind filling in the blanks about the nematodes please? Such as what exactly it/they do to the plants etc.

For a number of years my okra has been very short. It produces okra but the plant is only 6 to 18 inches tall. (Clemson Spineless) And this is why I ask.

[QUOTE=JohnWayne;290751]Jerry, Would you mind filling in the blanks about the nematodes please? Such as what exactly it/they do to the plants etc.

For a number of years my okra has been very short. It produces okra but the plant is only 6 to 18 inches tall. (Clemson Spineless) And this is why I ask.[/QUOTE]

I suggest you Google Root Knot Nematodes where you'll find tons of information about these awful pests. Infestations of RKNs will result in poor plant growth, decrease yields and death of plants. An indication that okra might be infested is if shows stress in the heat of the day like it needs water when other plants don't. The most tell-tell sign of infestations is the ugly galls on the roots -- they're unmistakable. A lot of vegetables are susceptible to RKNs, tomatoes included, so it's best to avoid them and very difficult to rid yourself of them once the soil is infested.

I, too, love okra. People often ask me what I do about the slime. I say, "nothing, I like it." Just don't overcook it. You need some crunch left in there.

My favorite variety is White Velvet. I have grown that one more than any other. No spines. You can get it from Southern Exposure and sometimes Victory has it.

I did this today on your recommendation.....welllllll, won't be doing that again and our neighbor can have ALL of it!! :))

[QUOTE=jennifer28;290538]
I had my first fresh okra yesterday right off the plant. I LOVED it. [/QUOTE]

I think that was dwarf Okra I gave scott
 

[QUOTE=meadowyck;290684]scott

that okra flower would be worth growing just for that bloom!!!!!! Even if it is only for a few hours, such a beauty.

I'm gonna go and look for some okra seeds, are there varieties in okra like there are in tomatoes?

Any suggestions on the best ones to try and where to purchase from?[/QUOTE]

Jan

I think that was the dwarf okra that I gave to Scott.
Scott, correct me if I'm wrong :)

I got it from my friend. But there is a decent seller on ebay - heirloomvegetables . I recommend him

-Jennifer

sorry chris.
 

[QUOTE=ChrisK;291207]I did this today on your recommendation.....welllllll, won't be doing that again and our neighbor can have ALL of it!! :))[/QUOTE]
Sorry Chris. I sincerely did like it. But I cant eat it if it is mushy. So I think that is why eating it fresh made a difference to me.

And I do feel badly because I was wondering what the yellow flowers were in my yard and you were the first one to tell me they were aconite.

I appreciated that.

Anyway, if you dare me to try something I will, just so we're even ;)

[QUOTE=jennifer28;291226] Anyway, if you dare me to try something I will...[/QUOTE]

I double dog dare you to try pickled okra! :yes:

[QUOTE=babice;291227]I double dog dare you to try pickled okra! :yes:[/QUOTE]

Me too.
Worth