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| Meager first okra harvest |
Yesterday morning I harvested these first okra pods of the year. They will need to be harvested daily now because the pods form so quickly. The four pods on the left are only a day older than those on the right. Unfortunately, experience has shown that the pods on the left are likely to be fibrous and inedible. If I experience any resistance when chopping up an okra pod, it's probably too far gone. They should be very tender and the knife should glide right through. Optimal size for the
Perkin's Long Pod variety that we are growing is 4-5" like the pods on the right. Yes, the ones on the left are 7-9" long!
We love the taste of okra, but are trying to eat less fried foods. So my questions for my readers. Other than battering and frying, how do you cook and eat your okra? How do you avoid the "slime" that they produce? I'd love to hear your answers in the comments section or the
Facebook page.
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I freeze them whole and then use them in winter for soups and stews (partially thaw and then slice). In the soup base the mucilage actually acts as a thickener! Love that okra! ~ Lynda
ReplyDeletePS: The first time I got fresh okra I didn't know how the size would effect them. It was pretty disgusting to be chewing on toothpicks in our soup!!! Live and learn. :)
My wife puts them on a cookie sheet, sprays them with a little olive oil, any any seasoning you may like (salt at least), heats the oven to 450 degrees and puts them in for 10 minutes.
ReplyDeletepixilatedtoo,
ReplyDeleteHa! I remember biting into my first fried okra that was too big. Chewing on toothpicks is an apt description.
I have tried steaming it like green beans and it was a disgusting ball of slime. I've had it in gumbo that other people made and it was great, so I will definitely try it in a soup/gumbo dish. Thank you for sharing!
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteSomeone emailed me with a very similar recipe. They use them as appetizers. Seems like a really easy thing to do. Thanks for sharing!
Pixilatedtoo,
ReplyDeleteDo you blanch before freezing them whole?
I'm cooking okra from our garden right now. Wash them, cut the stems off, and saute them whole in a pan with chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Put a lid on the pan for about 4 minutes to cook through, then remove lid and cook until garlic is caramelized. Tasty!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds very good!
ReplyDeletei am new to your blog, but we use okras in gumbo. I use stewd tomatoes,chicken, shrimp, onions,okra, garlic in a chicken broth/stock, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, turmeric, to taste, served over rice. my family loves it, my kids ask for it.
ReplyDeleteI have also had dehydrated okra as a snack with a little sea salt, not my favorite, but not bad, and dehydrating is a good way to save it for future use.
Really good information Tabitha! When you dehydrate your okra, how thick do you slice it?
ReplyDelete