16 hours ago, Neely said:I saw small ( 3 inches) fresh okra at the market and bought some to try again having had bad experiences with slime previously .
You might want to check this out. I remembered that Suvir used to make a wonderful okra dish at his long-gone restaurant here in NYC; sure enough, he's referenced in the article.
https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/how-cook-okra
Also this: https://www.seriouseats.com/fried-okra-recipe-8770194