Okra

[liuzhou]

It's only occasionally that I can find this locally, but when I do I stock up.

 

 

They are delightful to eat straight from the pack as a snack.  Small and crunchy.

They do not rehydrate well.

[Norm Matthews]

I've had dried okra a couple times before. It wasn't Asian; it was cut into rounds and sold in bulk.  It was a tasty snack. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Not hot enough? I think of the Okanagan as being very warm, but maybe you mean the early Spring temps or something? And you are an amazing gardener, with lovely greenhouses. Do they require an unusually long growing season or something? 

 

As I have mentioned in the gardening thread, when we had a particularly hot and dry summer in Memphis, TN growing okra, everything (corn and tomatoes in particular) parched in spite of irrigation, but the okra plants had never produced as much. They just seem to thrive on heat. In that climate, you still have to pick them before they get 4" long otherwise they will get woody, not just stringy, but quite inedible.

 

Interesting that Panaderia C.'s equatorial climate allows for larger growth without the woodiness. Different species?

 

Peppers do well in heat too. Basil doesn't like cold, but bolts in too much heat.

 

Anyone else notice how the beautiful okra flowers resemble hibiscus? Mr. wiki says it's related and also to cotton which has similar beautiful flowers. The real surprise is wiki also claims it's related to cocoa. I can't say anything intelligent because I've never lived in a climate suitable for growing cocoa. I searched for cacao flower images, and while exquisite too, they look more like orchids or fuchsia to me.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My okra are blooming now, and the flowers are truly beautiful.  According to wikipedia the entire plant is eatable.  An okra flower would make for an interesting plating.

[Norm Matthews]

I can't find the source right now but I seem to recall that during the Civil War, the Northern troops would burn all crops they came across, leaving fields of okra alone because they did not recognize it as food for humans.   I did came across a description for making a coffee substitute with okra starting:    "Parch over a good fire and stir well until it is dark brown; then take off the fire and before the seed get cool"

[Shelby]

I was commenting to my mom (and I think on the gardening thread here) the other day about how beautiful the okra flowers are.  I'm glad others share the same view. 

 

This is a picture from my garden.

 

 

Please excuse the Sevin dust lol.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Shelby (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

My okra are blooming now, and the flowers are truly beautiful.  According to wikipedia the entire plant is eatable.  An okra flower would make for an interesting plating.

 

Jo,

 

It would be like the truly top of the line Asian restaurants that plate dishes with orchid flowers!

 

I wonder if okra flowers might be stuffed and/or just fried alone like squash flowers. I never tried it when I was growing it, and I've never heard of it.

 

Anyone know more on this?

[FauxPas]

I wonder if okra flowers might be stuffed and/or just fried alone like squash flowers. I never tried it when I was growing it, and I've never heard of it.

 

Anyone know more on this?

 

I didn't know anything about this but did a search and found this recommendation:

 

Stuffed Okra Blooms

 

Cut the bloom off the plant right at the very back of the bloom. Gather about six to eight blooms. Wash them off and remove the center, or stigma, then rinse them off under cool water to remove any dirt and pollen. Next, lay the blooms on a cookie sheet with the bloom facing up and lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take a stick of softened cream cheese and mix in bacon bits, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and finely chopped jalapeños (if you want a little kick!). Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes or until the cream cheese begins to melt and get a bit gooey. Take out of the oven and immediately sprinkle chopped chives on top. Serve.

Edited July 8, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My okra are getting the better of me.  I found one tonight that was five inches long.  I rubbed it with oil and grilled it.  Not woody, not slimy.  Very nice.

 

I also had the first tomato of the season.  Not quite fully ripe, but red and badly cracked.  Quite nice, considering.  Went well with the abundance of cucumber.

[kayb]

I've heard good things about grilled okra. Going to try it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm not sure what I did to deserve this.  If ever you see an okra that you think you may pick tomorrow, repent and consider my sad fate.  I find myself with a bunch of seven inchers.  Meanwhile for dinner I tried a couple of smaller okra raw.  Nice crunch and flavor, but then O the slime.  Soluble fiber may be healthful but I think I shall be ill.

[SylviaLovegren]

I'm not sure what I did to deserve this.  If ever you see an okra that you think you may pick tomorrow, repent and consider my sad fate.  I find myself with a bunch of seven inchers.  Meanwhile for dinner I tried a couple of smaller okra raw.  Nice crunch and flavor, but then O the slime.  Soluble fiber may be healthful but I think I shall be ill.

 

Yes, always pick okra if it's ready to be picked, don't wait.  Such beautiful huge inedible things will grow.  And, no, never eat raw okra.  Unless you're trying to rid your stomach of poison...

[huiray]

When my brother and I were growing up our mother would urge us to eat more Lady's Fingers because it was thought to improve men's, um, quality and volume of certain, uh, fluids.

[cyalexa]

Someone gave me a gigantic bag of okra today. I have read every post in this thread and have a number of things planned. I bought an Excaliber dehydrator recently and would like to dry a batch. I would like to get a little salt to stick on them without using oil.  Ideas? 

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, cyalexa said:

Someone gave me a gigantic bag of okra today. I have read every post in this thread and have a number of things planned. I bought an Excaliber dehydrator recently and would like to dry a batch. I would like to get a little salt to stick on them without using oil.  Ideas? 

Yay!!!    Okra!!!!

 

I wouldn't think you would need anything to help it stick.  The "goo" that comes out when you slice will be enough IMO.

[cyalexa]

1 minute ago, Shelby said:

The "goo" that comes out when you slice will be enough IMO.

That's a good point. I was going to leave them whole but if I cut them the salt sticking issue will be solved. 

[kayb]

Can always cut them in half lengthwise if you prefer larger pieces.

 

 

[cyalexa]

3 hours ago, kayb said:

Can always cut them in half lengthwise if you prefer larger pieces.

 

 

That's exactly what I did. I just put them in at 125F and will let it run all night.

[cyalexa]

a gigantic picture of dried okra, cut in half lengthwise, dried about 48 hours at 125F

 

 

The pointy ends are almost sharp and seeds fall out when you eat them.

 

The next batch was dried whole. No pic but you can imagine. I salted them heavily after loading them on the trays and a fair amount seems to be sticking. I think these dried 4 days (also at 125) but honestly, I don't remember for sure. 

 

Both taste pretty good and if I am given another gigantic bag I would dry more whole, maybe trying some spices with the salt.

Edited August 11, 2016 by cyalexa (log)

[Okanagancook]

This okra dish is so darn easy to make and the results are fantastic.  I cooked this in my Convection Steam Oven on convection bake.  Made 1/2 a recipe which was the perfect amount for the two of us and it fit nicely into the oven.  It is from the blog Rashisrecipes.  The written recipe seems to omit the 1/8 teaspoon of cumin she adds in the video. Hope the link worked.

 

http://www.rashmisrecipes.com/2011/10/okra.html

 

[blue_dolphin]

I posted this over in the gardening thread as a question to @Shelby but should probably have put it over here for those with general okra interest. 

This morning when I was listening to Evan Kleiman's Good Food podcast she hosted Chris Smith, author of the recently published book,  The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration (the interview is available here.) When asked to name his favorite recipe in the book, he said it was the Okra Kimchi.  I  tracked down the recipe online:  Okra Kimchi Recipe.  I haven't tried it yet but I'm especially intrigued by the idea of dehydrating that okra kimchi and using it as a seasoning.