Okra

Had my first okra today, only had a couple but battered and deep fried they are delish, I'm hooked!

This is the first time I've raised it but it won't be the last!

Love that Okra! How did you batter it Red? To do it 'proper Southern" just put your cut okra on a bag with a cup of corn meal and shake it up really good. Fry what sticks to the okra. Use the rest for another day.

Use in soup....deeeelish!

Mel, I made a milk batter with flour, egg and baking powder..... I'm going to try it with just cornmeal next time. I'm really likin' it!

Perhaps you (or someone) can tell me, does okra freeze well?

Cut and freeze on a cookie sheet.That way it isn't lumped together. Thaw enough for cornmeal to stick just before frying. The texture is a little different, but it's still good.

Don't try to batter it berfore freezing, wate of time and okra.

I also blanch whole pods and use it in soups and stewed okra and tomatoes.

If you have very many plants, get used to cutting it every day...and it is a very generous veggie....big production from little space.

Good all purpose batter....flour(self rising) and beer. 7up or ginger ale works for those who don't have beer.

We are growing Okra, but I am allergic to the plants. I used to have to go to the garden with a full suit of armor...:) Hat, gloves, shirt buttoned up to the collar, long sleeves, and pants! and Lord Almighty, if I accidentally rubbed my face with the garden gloves, I was in trouble. So, I don't pick Okra anymore, hoping our workers don't have an allergy.

BTW, I would break out in hives and itch from head to toe, terribly bad!!!

Try making baked stuffed tomatoes with some fresh sausage and okra. It is good.

Kathy

Kathy, I have allergies to some things also, okra doesn't seem to be one of them (so far). Of course I only picked a couple, they're just started to come on.

Ummmm...sounds lucious Kathy. I have a slight allergy to okra....got to be careful picking it and shower in tepid water after.

Used to be deathly allergic to cucumber vines as a child.I could pick up an unwashed cuke with 2 fingers and have a rash from my neck to my waist in 10 minutes.

I had a severe reaction several times....got the rash on the bottoms of my feet and inside my eyelids....lots of Benedryl later I recovered....and that was in the 60's when Benedryl was the newest and greatest thing.

The reaction has deminished over the years and I'm not as sensitive...don't know why...just glad it did.

Hi Mel, This was about 4 years ago and I don't ever want to take the chance. I can touch the okra itself after its been picked, but the plants, oh my!!! I shudder to remember!

How have you been? Have you been to Louisville? I would love for you to stop and see us sometime when you make that jaunt or we can meet somewhere.
Take care, Kathy

Red, I am so glad you are growing Okra and like it! Did I send you the Long Horn variety? I understand that it is an old Kentucky Heirloom variety.
Have you ever tasted pickled Okra? It is great, especially if you have a nice thick steak to eat with it. I like Okra in homemade vegetable soups. And as Mel said you can freeze it. I also undersatand that you can cut and dry it for easy storage and use in soups that way; I have never had enough to do this.
I hope your tomatoes are going well!
Gary/Louisville

I can't imagine a garden w/out okra in it! Altho I only grow about two rows these days (50 ft each) I used to grow quite a few hundred feet. I'd get up before the sun was and pick okra as the daylight was just beginning untill it was time to leave for the market. Always had a sign up "Okra- picked at 5:30 a.m." and people would buy me out!

Mel, a few years back the older lady up the way told me how to get around freezing them on a cookie sheet. Rinse your okra and drain, slice into pieces then put them in a bag of flour and lightly "dust" them. Pull them out with a slotted spoon, allowing the excess flour to fall off. Important just to lightly dust them. You can put all the dusted okra right in a big gallon size freezer bag and the dust keeps them from sticking together. (No blanching!) This way you can pull out just what you need each time.

The flour doesn't make much difference as far as recipes either. There is just enought that if you want to make stews or gumbos the flour disappears in the stock. Also you can still cornmeal them for frying.

Sometimes I just throw a handful in a big black skillet w/some olive oil in it and sorta stirfry it, letting it cook but not fall apart. It turns a really dark Dark green! Serve with salt and pepper. Yummy!

Gary, You sent me "Bunton Seeds, Okra, Long Green Pod". Don't know if these are the same as Long Horn or not (?). I didn't get around to planting them this year, didn't have room to start them inside, then forgot them. Is it too late to plant them now outside?
My tomatoes are doing great! Just picked my first ripe ones today, Early Girl, not the best flavor but they sure beat store bought. Your Granny Cantrell's are just begining to set fruit. as you know they are considerately behind my others due to late planting. My Zogola's are head high and still growing, setting lots of fruit. I think this one is a winner! Amish Paste is chest high but with only moderate fruit set. Abe Lincoln, Santa Clara Canner and Aker's West Virginia are also doing great with loads of fruit and blossoms. Johnny's 361 is absolutely loaded with green tomatoes in the 10 to 12 ounce range and tons of blossoms! I only have three plants. :o( This one is far surpassing those I raised in NH, too bad the seed is no longer available.

Shoe, I made a mistake by not planting near enough okra this year, only eight plants of Clemson Spineless which I purchased at the Amish nursey in the area. Wasn't sure I'd like them. I'll try the flour trick if I have any left to freeze after piggin' out!

I agree regarding OKRA gotta have it.
Cooks good, freezes well, the dusting sounds like a great idea.
-
Notice the cloths my wife is wearing for protection.
Definitely a morning job!
Last years patch pictured; produced about 50 pounds every other day.

I experimented with freezing 2 years ago and this works beautifully. It's a bit of a pain to do initially but when you just want a handful fried up quick its a gift.

Rinse/slice your okra and throw in egg wash THEN dump in the bag with cornmeal (I season my cornmeal). Shake dump in sieve to shake off the excess and dump on cookie sheet. Quick freeze enough to dump in the zip loc bag without sticking and it will freeze beautifully. To cook dump frozen directly into hot grease and fry. Stay back a little further than usually (those ice crystals you know) but sure saves time at dinner time.

Chris

Just picked up on this thread because I'm not much of an okra eater but my DIL is and she has a seperate garden in which she grows okra. She loves it! However my 16 mos. old grandson, my son and I are fair skin and do have some allergies. Please tell me more about what to be aware of pertaining to rash and hives. I am highly susceptable.

This is my first year to grow Okra, and I went with a spineless variety. I was told (or read) that it is the spines on the plant that scratches you and can cause irritation and rashes. If her variety is not spineless, better let her do all the picking. I am fair skinned and KNOW that the pigment of the skin has a great deal to do with its resilience, seems like mine is on the thin side =-)

I'm fair-skinned (so my wife tells me, over and over) and have picked okra for years w/out bigtime troubles. It seems to me on the rare occasion when I get an irritation from it is when I am really sweaty, that seems to make me itch a bit where I brush up against the leaves.

I've learned to give more space between the plants and the rows and it helps.

Tplant and Tamara, I've found it helpful that as the plant grows tall to knock the lower stems off. This leaves less leaves to bump up against and does not inhibit the production of the plant. It also allows more ventilation within the rows and around the plants.

Mine are way too close, I started thinning them out last week, just transplanted the extras into another row. But since then, the ones left have grown so much they still seem too close, so how far apart do you recommend? Since this is my first year, my soil is far from perfect, so I want everything to have plenty of space. I have used cow manure, aqua-nu, and espoma 5-3-3... of course I planted late so these are barely 4 weeks along... and when I get more hay I will be mulching them... the smaller ones still have a tun-l cover over them...

Your okra plants can get 5 or 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. I'm with Shoe and think you should have about 4 feet between grown plants... :) Kathy