Okra

[DonDuck]

I'm thinking of growing okra this year for the first time. Any variety recommendations will be appreciated. I plan on growing the okra in an area which will be vacated by the Chinese cabbage currently occupying the space. I have my fingers crossed about growing it because a friend who lives near me tried to grow it a few years ago and found it to be a favorite food of fire ants. The ant's destroyed the okra plants and didn't touch anything else.


We were members of a group which had occasional parties with everyone bringing a dish prepared at home. We had one lady who grew up in Africa where Okra is called "Lady Fingers". She decided to prepare a dessert which called for lady fingers (the pastry) as the base. She brought her dessert prepared according to the recipe and folks had a hard time figuring out how okra was supposed to be a sweet dessert.

[ContainerTed]

Don, I have a great nephew who could eat fried okra all day long. In keeping him supplied, I have been growing Clemson Spineless. Put it in the ground about 1/2" deep while things are still cooler. Plan for them to be mature during early summer weather. Clip or cut the pods off when they are no more than 4 inches long. Now, you can decide whether or not to cut into one inch lengths for fried okra or whatever you want.

We also use the pods that get too large and somewhat tough. I put them in a processor or coffee grinder and make a fine dust. We put this into stews, biscuits, and a myriad of other things to either gently flavor or thicken the finished product. It even goes into the Thanksgiving stuffing.

There are no special growing recommendations. After planting, I just keep it watered. Be sure to harvest every two or three days. Cutting off the pods seems to make the plant put on more blooms and pods.

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Don, I have a great nephew who could eat fried okra all day long. In keeping him supplied, I have been growing Clemson Spineless. Put it in the ground about 1/2" deep while things are still cooler. Plan for them to be mature during early summer weather. Clip or cut the pods off when they are no more than 4 inches long. Now, you can decide whether or not to cut into one inch lengths for fried okra or whatever you want.

We also use the pods that get too large and somewhat tough. I put them in a processor or coffee grinder and make a fine dust. We put this into stews, biscuits, and a myriad of other things to either gently flavor or thicken the finished product. It even goes into the Thanksgiving stuffing.

There are no special growing recommendations. After planting, I just keep it watered. Be sure to harvest every two or three days. Cutting off the pods seems to make the plant put on more blooms and pods.

I used to be the same way on fried okra. When our kids were small, we would sit around watching the Dallas Cowboys play football and snacking on fried okra instead of popcorn. I like it in an egg wash and cornmeal. I don't like the batter most restaurants cook it in today. We also don't each much fried food today, so I guess it is good that we also like okra and tomatoes cooked together.

[DonDuck]

Just curious if most folks cut the base off okra pods the way I do before cooking it. Most packaged okra prepared for frying includes the base and small stem in the package. I've always thought they are tough and tossed them in the trash.

[DonDuck]

Just curious if most folks cut the base off okra pods the way I do before cooking it. Most packaged okra prepared for frying includes the base and small stem in the package. I've always thought they are tough and tossed them in the trash.


Any other ideas on cooking okra? I prefer Cajun gumbo in a dark roux without okra. Creole gumbo like they serve in New Orleans includes okra in a light roux. To me, the light roux is more of a soup where the dark roux is closer to a stew.

[Rajun Gardener]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

Just curious if most folks cut the base off okra pods the way I do before cooking it. Most packaged okra prepared for frying includes the base and small stem in the package. I've always thought they are tough and tossed them in the trash.


Any other ideas on cooking okra? I prefer Cajun gumbo in a dark roux without okra. Creole gumbo like they serve in New Orleans includes okra in a light roux. To me, the light roux is more of a soup where the dark roux is closer to a stew.

Being a Cajun we don't just chop okra and throw it in gumbo. We smother it and add it to roux or just make a straight okra gumbo. Smothered okra is eaten here as a side dish or you can add seafood to it and make a thick stew, the cooked down okra makes a thick gravy/stew so it's a perfect fit for gumbo.

Try it cooked that way once and you'll be a fan if you like the fried okra taste.

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

Being a Cajun we don't just chop okra and throw it in gumbo. We smother it and add it to roux or just make a straight okra gumbo. Smothered okra is eaten here as a side dish or you can add seafood to it and make a thick stew, the cooked down okra makes a thick gravy/stew so it's a perfect fit for gumbo.

Try it cooked that way once and you'll be a fan if you like the fried okra taste.

I like the thickning idea with okra. I've only seen it floating in the watery creole gumbo. Any time I see gumbo on a restaurant menu, I always ask if it is a lite roux or dark roux gumbo. You would be surprised how many restaurant owners have no idea what I am talking about.


Is the reason Cowhorn okra the same reason Cowhorn peppers are named as they are?

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

I used to be the same way on fried okra. When our kids were small, we would sit around watching the Dallas Cowboys play football and snacking on fried okra instead of popcorn. I like it in an egg wash and cornmeal. I don't like the batter most restaurants cook it in today. We also don't each much fried food today, so I guess it is good that we also like okra and tomatoes cooked together.

Nowadays, we always use a light flour coating and then into the egg wash and corn meal. I've even tried it MASA flour and while it's good and just a bit different, I keep coming back to what I grew up on.

Fried Okra also needs a lot of salt. It makes the flavor really pop.

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Don, I have a great nephew who could eat fried okra all day long. In keeping him supplied, I have been growing Clemson Spineless. Put it in the ground about 1/2" deep while things are still cooler. Plan for them to be mature during early summer weather. Clip or cut the pods off when they are no more than 4 inches long. Now, you can decide whether or not to cut into one inch lengths for fried okra or whatever you want.

We also use the pods that get too large and somewhat tough. I put them in a processor or coffee grinder and make a fine dust. We put this into stews, biscuits, and a myriad of other things to either gently flavor or thicken the finished product. It even goes into the Thanksgiving stuffing.

There are no special growing recommendations. After planting, I just keep it watered. Be sure to harvest every two or three days. Cutting off the pods seems to make the plant put on more blooms and po ds.

I plan on growing the highly productive varieties this year so my expectations are for more okra than we can eat or give away or store. I want to try converting some dried pods into powder and using it for thickening and flavoring dishes year round. I have a mental image of adding the powder to any recipe requiring some thickener instead of wheat flour or corn flour. I think the added okra flavor would also be nice. I see the powder as having a mild flavor similar to gumbo file powder (sassafras) except the okra powder can be cooked in the dish where file powder is normally added to the dish after it is prepared. The taste of file powder has a tendency to disappear when cooked.

[Rajun Gardener]

I grow Fife Creek Cowhorn okra because I can get a longer pod that's still soft, that makes a huge difference when I put up 45 quarts of smothered okra compared to 4-5" pods. I harvest 6-8" pods every 2 days, depending on how fast they grow you might have to harvest 5" pods because they'll be too long in the 2 days you wait.

FYI, Lady Fingers are a type of okra.

Ants and okra go hand in hand but you can control them. They feed on the aphids so check your plants and you should be fine.

[Worth1]

Cow horn for me too.
Huge pods that are still tender.

[seaeagle]

Silver Queen Okra is similar to Cowhorn Okra from what I read. Silver Queen is 2 to 3 times more productive and tastes better than Clemson Spinless. I wouldn't waste my garden space with Clemson Spinless ever again but that's my opinion.


https://parkseed.com/silver-queen-ok...p/05193-PK-P1/


Please be aware that Park Seed is much maligned and hated in Tomatoville even though they may be the largest mail order seed vendor in the United States, so they must have some satisfied customers

[Rajun Gardener]

Originally Posted by seaeagle

Silver Queen Okra is similar to Cowhorn Okra from what I read. Silver Queen is 2 to 3 times more productive and tastes better than Clemson Spinless. I wouldn't waste my garden space with Clemson Spinless ever again but that's my opinion.


https://parkseed.com/silver-queen-ok...p/05193-PK-P1/


Please be aware that Park Seed is much maligned and hated in Tomatoville even though they may be the largest mail order seed vendor in the United States, so they must have some satisfied customers

Sliver Queen is considered a white okra and some people say white okra has better flavor but I couldn't tell the difference.

I have plenty of FC cowhorn seed if you want to do a side by side comparison.

[seaeagle]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

Sliver Queen is considered a white okra and some people say white okra has better flavor but I couldn't tell the difference.

I have plenty of FC cowhorn seed if you want to do a side by side comparison.

Thanks I think I will stay with this Okra for this year anyway. Just curious though as you have grown both you must like Cowhorn better. What is the difference and why do you prefer Fife Creek Cowhorn okra, if I may ask?

[Rajun Gardener]

Originally Posted by seaeagle

Thanks I think I will stay with this Okra for this year anyway. Just curious though as you have grown both you must like Cowhorn better. What is the difference and why do you prefer Fife Creek Cowhorn okra, if I may ask?

They grow here in the heat and rain. Granted the rain will slow pollination down when the blooms get wet but I've picked okra in rubber boots walking through 4 inches of water between the rows and the plants kept going and I've also picked when the temps were in the 100+ range in a drought. They just grow.

Side note: Okra loves nitrogen and should be side dressed at about 15" tall like corn, I learned that one year by chance when I had free nitrogen to use and they responded well.