# Okra



## CWS4322

I grew okra successfully this year (Direct seeded).  I want to plant it again. I just heard on a tv show to soak the seeds overnight in either milk or buttermilk. Doing so shortens the germination time (5-7 days for it to sprout) and supposedly you can harvest it much earlier. I'm going to try it this year! BTW, it doesn't transplant well, at least not in my experiments with okra.


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## justplainbill

After 40 years I've finally succeeded in persuading my wife to use more okra in her cooking.  
Do you grow any indoors?
When do you plant it outdoors?
Is okra critter resistant?


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## CWS4322

I direct seeded late May. I had tried to start it indoors, but the plants died when transplanted. I haven't tried growing it indoors year around. I didn't have any critter problems with the okra. Just don't let the pods get big--then they are woody. I was in MN and my DH left some of the pods (6 in.)because he didn't know what to do with it--good for seeds, but woody.


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## justplainbill

Two to three inches long is fine by me. I like them as a thickener in vegetable soup.


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## Zhizara

I have grown it before.  I used to steal a blossom to put in my hat.  A pretty hibiscus, yellow with a deep velvet red throat.

They grow so fast, you have to snip the pods off when they are small, sometimes saving them until you have enough.

Also I find that if I use slices in a gumbo or jambalaya, they aren't slimy if you cook them awhile.  Not being able to grow them now, I like to use the sliced frozen okra.

Do you have a recipe for fried okra?  It was my very first favorite food when I was 5 y/o.  The landlady would call my mom to say she was making fried okra and did I want to come over and have some.

She would set me a plate of them on the open oven door, and I would sit there in my little chair and scarf them all up!

I've never been able to get a coating to stick properly, but know that corn flake crumbs taste great with them.

I tried buying the prebreaded frozen okra, but don't care for the breading.

I wonder if I could use Timothy's fritter batter and just make fritters?

Good thread, CWS.  I love okra.


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## sparrowgrass

I beat up an egg and slice the okra into it. Then I bread it with a 50/50 mix of cornmeal and flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Deepfry in vegetable oil, 375, til brown and crispy.  I leave little pods whole and cut the bigger pods into 2 or 3 pieces, so the breading doesn't overwhelm the okra. (If you are out of eggs, or just don't care to use them, slice the okra and put just a little water on it and let it sit a few minutes.  The 'slime' will make the breading stick.)

I have direct seeded and grown seedlings indoors. Plant when the soil is warm--okra doesn't like to get cold.

I remember the first time I ate okra--I was about 6, and my older cousins bet my grandma that I wouldn't like it.  My grandma took me aside and paid me twenty six cents (probably all she could scrounge up) to eat it and tell them I liked it.  It was breaded and fried, and I did like it, but I kept the twenty six cents anyway.


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## texherp

I've grown okra many times in the past.  I seem to remember the seed coming up pretty fast normally (within few couple days).  I bet a lot has to do with soil temperature because they LOVE the heat.  They're pretty much the only thing that consistently produces through the summer down here while most everything else melts in the heat by August.  They'll be 6 or 7 feet tall by then.  I have transplanted them successfully, but it works better if you plant them in those cell packs, 1 plant per cell (they normally sell them as many seedlings in one pot that you have to break up and plant almost bear-rooted).

When I make fried okra, I coat with flour, then egg, then cornmeal.  I also make sure to salt the okra directly, salt the egg, and salt the finished fried okra because it can be kinda bland if you don't.  Also, I like to add a little baking powder to the flour which will get you rounder okras, like how they are at restaurants.  That's my secret don't tell anyone, lol.


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## Kathleen

I tried growing okra, and had three plants come up.  It never gave me enough to fry.  A pod here.  A pod there.  How many plants do I need to get enough for a plate of okra?

I absolutely love fried okra, but health-concerns these days...

I bought okra at the farmer's market this year and roasted it according to this recipe.  The okra came out delicious and I did not miss the fried okra at all!  I roasted mine whole rather than slice them up.


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## sparrowgrass

I sometimes take little pods, toss them with olive oil and salt, and put them in a hot cast iron pan.  Move them around until they are browned on the edges and tender.  Or put them in a grill basket and grill them.


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## Timothy

Zhizara said:


> I wonder if I could use Timothy's fritter batter and just make fritters?
> 
> Good thread, CWS. I love okra.


I"ve never made or even seen Okra fritters, but I can only imagine they would be good.

Deep fried to a golden brown, then eaten with a goodly amount of butter on each bite! Oh Yeah...


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## Andy M.

Just so you all know, it's OK to cook okra without bread crumbs and other ways besides frying.

I make a dish with lamb cubes, tomato, onion, garlic and okra as a stew and it's delicious.


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## FrankZ

Andy M. said:


> Just so you all know, it's OK to cook okra without bread crumbs and other ways besides frying.
> 
> I make a dish with lamb cubes, tomato, onion, garlic and okra as a stew and it's delicious.



Yer kidding me?  If you don't bread and deep fry how do you draw the toxins out of it?  

Kathleen made this Indian dish one time with okra, peanuts, tomatoes and crazy spice.  It was so good, but you needed to ambush it when you ate it or you might get kicked in the mouth by it.

We do like okra around here.. unfortunately there isn't much to do with 1 or two okra at a time.


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## Andy M.

FrankZ said:


> Yer kidding me?  If you don't bread and deep fry how do you draw the toxins out of it?
> 
> Kathleen made this Indian dish one time with okra, peanuts, tomatoes and crazy spice.  It was so good, but you needed to ambush it when you ate it or you might get kicked in the mouth by it.
> 
> We do like okra around here.. unfortunately there isn't much to do with 1 or two okra at a time.




Ear plugs?


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## Dawgluver

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Ear plugs?



But you need to bread and deep fry them first.  They fit better.


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## MarcD

Pardon me while I dust this thread off.....

I have grown many things in my garden but Okra has not been one of them......may try it someday. 

This thread reminded me of a dish I concocted a few years ago.....'Deer POOP' soup.... It was an ad-lib kinda venture that turned out pretty well.....just add ingredients as you see fit and season to taste.

Deer (venison) and Pork coarsly ground via the KitchenAid......got the Deer part and the first P. In order to complete the rest of 'poop' I had to come up with the other ingredients......Okra was one of the choices. I cheated and bought a bag of frozen sliced Okra...

Final list of ingredients:

Deer....Pork, Okra, Onion, Potato.


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## justplainbill

MarcD said:


> Pardon me while I dust this thread off.....
> 
> I have grown many things in my garden but Okra has not been one of them......may try it someday.
> 
> This thread reminded me of a dish I concocted a few years ago.....'Deer POOP' soup.... It was an ad-lib kinda venture that turned out pretty well.....just add ingredients as you see fit and season to taste.
> 
> Deer (venison) and Pork coarsly ground via the KitchenAid......got the Deer part and the first P. In order to complete the rest of 'poop' I had to come up with the other ingredients......Okra was one of the choices. I cheated and bought a bag of frozen sliced Okra...
> 
> Final list of ingredients:
> 
> Deer....Pork, Okra, Onion, Potato.


Might want to add some round black beans to make it look authentic.
Perhaps you could also ad-lib a raccoon scat soup?


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## LindaZ

Seeing this post reminded me of the first time I tried to cook okra. I'm from Ohio, we don't have okra there. We moved to SC and that was the first time I'd seen or heard of okra. A customer at the answering service I was working for brought a huge bushel basket of it for all of us to take some. Since my kids had eaten fried okra in school and liked it, I took some home to cook for them. Well, first I tried to peel it because it was "hairy" - of course it disintegrated in my hands. Then I just sliced it, but it had seeds, so I tried to "de-seed" it. Finding that a monumental task I called one of the ladies I worked with at the answering service and asked her how to cook it. I spent 5 minutes on hold, while she laughed herself silly over what I had done. She told me to slice it, bread it and fry it. Turned out pretty good that way, and was very easy to make. Live and learn I always say.


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## Merlot

LindaZ said:


> Seeing this post reminded me of the first time I tried to cook okra. I'm from Ohio, we don't have okra there. We moved to SC and that was the first time I'd seen or heard of okra. A customer at the answering service I was working for brought a huge bushel basket of it for all of us to take some. Since my kids had eaten fried okra in school and liked it, I took some home to cook for them. Well, first I tried to peel it because it was "hairy" - of course it disintegrated in my hands. Then I just sliced it, but it had seeds, so I tried to "de-seed" it. Finding that a monumental task I called one of the ladies I worked with at the answering service and asked her how to cook it. I spent 5 minutes on hold, while she laughed herself silly over what I had done. She told me to slice it, bread it and fry it. Turned out pretty good that way, and was very easy to make. Live and learn I always say.


  I enjoyed your story


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## Merlot

MarcD said:


> Pardon me while I dust this thread off.....
> 
> I have grown many things in my garden but Okra has not been one of them......may try it someday.
> 
> This thread reminded me of a dish I concocted a few years ago.....'Deer POOP' soup.... It was an ad-lib kinda venture that turned out pretty well.....just add ingredients as you see fit and season to taste.
> 
> Deer (venison) and Pork coarsly ground via the KitchenAid......got the Deer part and the first P. In order to complete the rest of 'poop' I had to come up with the other ingredients......Okra was one of the choices. I cheated and bought a bag of frozen sliced Okra...
> 
> Final list of ingredients:
> 
> Deer....Pork, Okra, Onion, Potato.


 
I could be mistaken but I think someone posted on FB yesterday about a segment they saw on tv and WV/ travel with this dish.  I have lived in WV all my life and have never heard of it.    Your list of ingredients sound pretty good.


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## MarcD

justplainbill said:


> Might want to add some round black beans to make it look authentic.
> Perhaps you could also ad-lib a raccoon scat soup?


 
Good point!! Black beans are a favorite......all my chili is black bean. I had to stick with the name of the dish and B was not there....drat!!

I may be able to do the scat but raccoon has never been on the menu, even though it is an option for some folks. I'm not seeing that many raccoons nowadays.....at least while they are alive.


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## Zhizara

LindaZ said:


> Seeing this post reminded me of the first time I tried to cook okra. I'm from Ohio, we don't have okra there. We moved to SC and that was the first time I'd seen or heard of okra. A customer at the answering service I was working for brought a huge bushel basket of it for all of us to take some. Since my kids had eaten fried okra in school and liked it, I took some home to cook for them. Well, first I tried to peel it because it was "hairy" - of course it disintegrated in my hands. Then I just sliced it, but it had seeds, so I tried to "de-seed" it. Finding that a monumental task I called one of the ladies I worked with at the answering service and asked her how to cook it. I spent 5 minutes on hold, while she laughed herself silly over what I had done. She told me to slice it, bread it and fry it. Turned out pretty good that way, and was very easy to make. Live and learn I always say.



I'm curious, Linda, what kind of breading do you use?  I've tried the frozen pre-breaded and didn't like it at all.  Whenever I try breading, it falls off.  I use the frozen sliced okra.


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