Plant your okra stories here!

My response is to a question by Drthor but was in the Tomato forum. So now we can talk okra!

I usually only get one per bush or maybe one big and one small if I didn't see one. I planted three rows of 6, all about 12-13 inches apart. A few are way behind the others but will eventually make okra. This way, it doesn't take too long to collect enough to cook something. Our favorite way to eat it is smothered (have a few different recipes) and of course, gumbo. My mother only used it for seafood gumbo and no other. We don't fry anything at home but boy, it's good fried too! I think we will throw some on the grill next time and see how that is!
I have grown Clemson Spineless, Louisiana Green Velvet, Perkins Mammouth Long Pod, Star of David (I think!), and Red Burgundy. The LA Green Velvet is long and slim. The Mammouth Long Pod that I am growing this year has grown several side shoots early on. If the okra plant gets too tall, I read where you can cut off the top and it will develop side shoots. Did this last year and it works.
Okra likes it hot and will grow the size of a small tree! Mine has had a few pests, which it doesn't seem to mind. I spray with Neem and it just keeps growing. I plant my seeds straight into the ground, 2 in each hole. That usually results in at least one viable plant. They don't seem to like being transplanted--at least, not yanked up and put in a different hole! But it's still growing... :)
Here is a picture from the end of last season.

thanks for starting this thread.
So you harevst one pod a day from each plant? ... sorry I am slow to understand you

I also grow okra and think many others here do too. I grow a bit more than you but not much more. Mine is double rowed with alternating space so the plants are not directly across from each other. Your okra is spaced rather close. I space eighteen inches to two feet. I have direct seeded and pre-started seed. Okra does fine on transplant if you grow it in a container that can go directly in the ground (such as a small mouthwash cup). It is also okay to transplant when it has only primary leaves and the weather is wet. So, if you have extra sprouts you can move them to new space (assuming you have the space). Okra likes it hot, it's true, but it also likes lots of water. Heat and no water will not equal great okra. It is, after all, a hibiscus. The bugs that manage to shimmy up those long stalks can usually be knocked off into a cup of water to join the swim team saving your Neem for more important occasions.

We grow fifteen to twenty plants each season. That's enough to eat raw in salads, saute with garlic and herbs (it doesn't get gooey if you cook it for just a few minutes in an iron skillet with olive oil), for fresh gumbo, stewed tomatoes and okra, fried okra and fritters all summer plus can about ten or twelve quarts for winter soups and gumbos. I use those thick stems as garden markers come spring. I only grow one variety each year so that I might save seed. Many of the varieties offered are mediocre, IMO. I like Clemson spineless best and am trying a new variety this year.
Laurel

Well, I don't get okra every day at this point. Usually for me, each plant will have one okra ready to pick at one time, but not necessarily every day. In other words, I don't pick 5 okra at one time from a plant. Am I making sense??!!
Yes, I do plant mine close but I have limited space and find they usually do well. Some just take extra time to catch up. Tonight I gave them a nice blast with the hose and knocked off some critter poo or something. Thanks for the reminder that they like lots of water.
My husband always jokes about putting them in the front flower bed. Now I can tell him they are hibiscus! Janet

I have three Clemson spineless and 1 Red Burgundy growing in my eBuckets. The stalks are about a fify-cent piece diameter. I have okras on them, but haven't picked a single one yet.

The Clenson okra are fat, fat, fat, and short and squatty. They don't look quite right. Never grew them before, so would appreciate some feedback.

Also, where and how are ya'll cutting them from the stalk?

Finally, I have a tremendous lot of ants that run all over my okra plants. Why are they there? I've checked for aphids, and there are none, so I can't figure out why the ants are hanging around the tips of the okra plants.

Linda

I am growing okra for the first time this year. I have three plants, and pick approx three to five okra every day. I have accumulated quite a few okra thus far this season. Does anyone have a good recipe for okra, and tomato stew (?). I used to eat lunch at a cafeteria owned by a black family called Dot's in Austin, Texas. I would have their okra stew (?) as a side dish every time I went there. It was delicious!.....How would I make a dish like this?

Horn,

Slice the okra into 1/2" pieces, coat with veggie oil and lay out on a cookie sheet. Run them through the broiler with the rack low enough so they brown slowly (SO THEY DON'T BURN). You can scatter them around on the sheet as they brown, to get a nice evenness on each side.

Then, either make a roux (uh equal parts veggie oil and flour, browned in a HEAVY skillet (cast iron preferred...), to a deep, dark (BUT NOT BURNT) brownish color. Add, chicken or beef broth to the roux stirring, stirring, stirring until it's smooth. Or, you can just buy a package of Zatarain's Gumbo Base (NO RICE) and use that as your roux base. Use chicken/beef broth as the liquid component -- I don't ever use plain water (EZ BUTTON -- it's what I do...).

Brown a trinity of diced up onions, bell peppers, and garlic (don't burn the garlic), in the cast iron skillet with a little oil (It's a Paula Deen thing with the oil, like she uses butter...), until the onions are just translucent. You can also brown some celery, too.

Add the trinity and the okra to the roux and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or so until the roux starts to thicken. Toss in a can of stewed (or FRESH), diced tomatoes and adjust with additional seasonings of your taste (add a couple splashes of Louisiana Red Hot sauce, and some cayenne pepper....) Also, add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the roux, adjusting to your taste. Might need two, but start with one...simmer until you get a nice thick sauce...

You can also turn this into a quick, mock okra gumbo by tossing in any combinations of BROWNED sliced sausage, cubed seasoning ham, short-boned beef stew, chicken wings/legs, and/or fresh shrimp . Simmer any meats you add, until the meat is tender (add your shrimp last, cooking only for the last 10 minutes or so, so they don't get tough).

Serve over a bed of fluffy, white rice.

Call Dot's and thank them....

Linda

Bariolo,
"My husband always jokes about putting them in the front flower bed. Now I can tell him they are hibiscus!"

So, is Okra in the Hybiscus family?
If yes .... yeaaahhh ... I can give the lower leaves to my husband tortoises. They eat the Hybiscus flowers .. I know ... what a waste !

Yes, Okra is in the Hybiscus family. Compare that huge okra blossom to one of your dinnerplate or other hibiscus flowers...there's a definite family resemblence.

Thanks to Gymgirl's recipe I am going to make me some cajun okra & tomato stew!!!......Thank you Linda!!

Gymgirl, okra starts off fat and button shaped and then elongates. Are you talking about mature pods? That might be more related to amounts of heat and water at the time of individual pod development. As for ants, they are attracted to the nectar in the flowers. They also love the moisture exuded at the leaf axles of many plants such as beans. They may or may not be transporting aphid eggs.

I was in Miami in May and went down to Redlands and Homestead. This area is one of the largest commercial varietal agricultural locations in the country. I go several times a year and the crops are ever changing. We saw miles and miles of okra this trip. The variety being grown was about three feet high. Some northern gardeners grow okra in the rear of their flower gardens for the leaf shape but never have a season long enough to grow pods.

I'm probably the only person in the world, or at least Tx, that can't grow Okra! I used to grow it but the last two years I've soaked the seeds until they sprout,put them in the ground and never see them again. Sad sad sad

A neighbor of mine gave me some seeds he said were a weird variety of okra. I planted them and they came up loofah! You can eat young loofah just like okra, or let it grow and have loofahs.

As I mentioned in the tomato forum thread, the word gumbo means okra. So if someone says he doesn't like okra in his gumbo, the response is that he doesn't like gumbo!

I'm growing okra for the first time this summer. I have three plants. They started to bloom yesterday. Hubby doesn't think he likes okra.

I'm enjoying these okra adventures!
Linda, I cut my okra with my small pruners. Just reach in, grab the okra, bend toward you and snip close to the cap. You could just snap it off but sometimes I damage the plant doing that. Great gumbo recipe!
Here's a smothered okra recipe that we love:
Smothered Okra with Tomatoes from Low Calorie Cajun Cooking by Enola Prudhomme (Paul's older sister)
2 T olive oil (she uses one T reduced-cal margarine but ick); 1 lb fresh okra, cut into 1/4 inch slices; 1/4 t salt; 1/4 t ground cumin; 1/4 t ground white pepper; 1/4 t ground red pepper; 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 c); 1 t paprika; 1/2 c water. In a large heavy skillet over high heat, heat the oil until very hot. Add the okra, salt, cumin and peppers; stir constantly to prevent sticking. Cook for about 15 min, or until the okra is no longer slimy, then add the tomato and paprika. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking. When the okra starts to stick, scrape the bottom of the skillet with a spoon; continue cooking and stirring until the okra turns a light brown color. Gradually stir in the water. Cook, uncovered, for about 30 min longer, or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring often. My note: we just eat it after adding the water and cooking for about 5 min longer, as we like it not so dry. We also double or quadruple (or whatever) and freeze some. There's also a recipe with some lemon juice that's yummy. Just google for a great recipe to try!
Now, does anyone know what these crystal-looking things are on the okra plant? I washed them off a few days ago and so need to check if they are back again.

Bariolio,the plant produces an exudate that looks like minute gel beads. I'm assuming that's it based on your description of the crystal appearance. Depending on rain or watering or ants harvesting the exudate you may or may not notice it.

Nice recipes all. For a very easy preparation we slice it half an inch thick and pan saute for just a few minutes in olive oil, adding a little minced garlic the last few seconds. We use a cast iron skillet on medium high and only enough oil to coat the pan. No coating at all on the okra. The okra should still have a slight crunch. Add salt and pepper while still hot. Leftovers make a great snack or salad topper.

Thanks, Laurel. It's good to know it's a natural thing. I'll just leave it alone.

1lisac

As Cher’s character in “Moonstruck” says to Nicolas Cage’s character, “Come on, snap out of it!” (then she gives him a big face slap, so consider yourself slapped). Trust me, if you live in Texas, you can grow okra. I believe you can because I had the same doubts about myself three months ago. I planted okra seed in my raised bed around March 15th. The seeds germinated and grew to about 2 inches tall in 7 days. Then for a long time they just didn’t grow at all and I was beginning to feel inadequate as a Texas gardener since I couldn’t even grow okra. Then toward the end of May they started growing and I was encouraged again. You can see from the picture how they have grown since then. I pick about 4 or 5 okra pods a day and they are just starting to produce. Once they get going I expect to pick at least a dozen pods a day. Okra just likes really hot weather like we have here in Texas so try planting seeds again and I bet that you will be successful.

Nice okree, hrp, and nice beds too. Yep, I learned not to plant my okra until at least May because it just takes up space until it gets really hot. Now I let any winter/spring crops keep going until it's okra time. Oh, another good thing to do with okra is pickle them!

Cajun Tomato Okra stew was delicious........Here is a picture of my daily harvest. I pick at the same time every day approx 6:00 pm........The darn things grow so fast that three of these are too big, and they were little squirts the day before......

I am growing Armenian Cuks this year for the first time. They grow really fast..........This one was hidden from view for a long time........It weighed approx 5 lbs.

hummm
how could you not see it ?
It is a monster !!
I grew this cuke too and it is really sweet !!

Actually it was growing on my neighbor's side of the fence, I told him he could pick anything on his side of the fence, and he brought this on back to me thinking I could enter in the world's biggest cucumber contest....He was amazed it was so big.......me too for that matter.....

Hey, don't count out those big okra! We've come across some bigger than that and they were okay once cooked. If in doubt, try chopping them with a sharp knife. If the knife bounces back, maybe they're too tough. If it slices okay, go for it!

Horn,
You made the recipe already?

When we've a variety of Okra that's big, to test its 'tenderness' while the okra is still on the plant, I snap the pointed tip. If it snap easily. It's young and can be eaten. If the tips become fibrous, I simply cut them off to allow the plants the needed energy to make new ones. :)

Here is an ornamental/edible okra 'Little Lucy' I bought from a nursery. The fruits have a reddish tinge to them. But they're just as good for cooking.

Hey Linda - I'm following you. :)

Someone shared Tree Okra seeds with me this year and I'm going to plant them just for fun. I don't especially care for okra, but maybe it will give me a new appreciation.

Anyone have experience with tree okra?

Please advise.

Thanks.

A.

p.s. Oh I've saved a mature fruit for seeds for next year as seen above. Next year crops maybe different than this year's parentage. But, I hope they'll turn out edible.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2011 10:03 AM

AmandaEsq,
I've not heard of an okra "tree." I'll have to google a picture and see what it's all about!

P.S. I'm honored that someone considers me even remotely worthy of "following!" Early on, I tried to get an understanding of what Twitter was, and why there was all this hype, so I asked someone what it was all about. The reply was, "you know, like, if someone says something, you, like, "follow" them." And, my first thought was, "why?"

I think I understand better now...

Hugs!

Linda

Who's off to "follow" the almighty $.50 (it used to be a dollar, but, like, you know, with the recession and all, it's like, you know, "another day, another $.50..") ^^_^^

Hey, Lily, I'll have to try your okra tenderness test tip. (Now I sound like that guy from Unwrapped!).

Standard okra is referred to as "tree okra" in some cultures like the Caribbean. Our Clemson spineless gets about eight feet and I need to stand on a bench to pick by the end of the season. We will be able to start picking within two weeks and harvest into early October. Once it cools off the plants stall and stop blooming. South GA farmers have a long enough season to cut plants mid-season to keep them manageable for harvesting. We don't have time in zone 7a.

Hey Bariolio, ? Unwrapped guy? hiya Linda. We've a community veggies garden that's shared by 3 families in our neighborhood. Monday was my day to pick anything I wanted from the garden. Okras is a must for my picking day. I'm going to cook them tonight. Can't wait until supper time.

Hi MaypopLaurel, my neighbors picked the seeds from a local co-op. This year they turned out quite short, roughly 2 feet tall. But some of the okras were huge. At first when I saw them to be that big. I test-snap 'em. They snapped. I cooked them and had a savory dish that first time last week. Yum!

"p.s. Oh I've saved a mature fruit for seeds for next year as seen above. Next year crops maybe different than this year's parentage..."

You're correct, LilyLove, your red okra Little Lucy, is a hybrid, won't come true next year. There are many other reds and burgundy okras available that are OP though so maybe next year you should recommend that to your neighborhood garden folks to help keep costs down, eh?

Laurel, I cut my okra down, or used to when I grew for sales production. (I got so tired of picking okra everyday I needed the break it gives me for a couple weeks!)

Shoe (guilty of planting okra late this year.)

Shoe, I tried cutting mid-season one year and never got it big enough to harvest much again. Guess timing is everything there.

It bears mentioning that saveable okra seed can be tricky to store and viability can be very low the following year so save a good deal more than you think you need.

Laurel (who imitating Shoe's inimitable closing style, is waiting impatiently on some white okra.)

Thanks Shoe for your confirmation on the seeds. I'm really enjoying this thread. Meeting so many nice gardeners here.

Gymgirl - you are my ebucket idol. ;)

I am going to try some of these seeds and see what happens.

Amanda (like Shoe, guilty of planting okra late).

There is NO guilt in the garden. The plants will NEVER tell....

LOL with you Linda. Here is what's coming to the table for super tonite. We started our okras the Good Friday weekend. So plenty early for harvesting all season long.

Lily,
What kind of tomatoes are those in your pic?