Rutabagas!

Ruth_10 · January 14, 2009

You must try okra. Be warned: it is a big plant. Some varieties are very tall (15 ft?) and some are branching and wide. The complaint about okra is that it is slimy when cooked. The slime doesn't bother me. I can take it.

My favorite way to eat okra is to pop it into boiling water for about 5 min, then drain. Don't overcook it. Sprinkle some salt on it, then slice up a nice tomato into chunks and take a bit of okra and then a bite of tomato. The flavors are very complimentary and the acid of the tomato helps cut the okra slime. It is one of my favorite lunch dishes when tomatoes are in high season and the okra is going strong, too.

For those of you who haven't grown okra before, it is best picked when very young, no more than 3". After that it gets tough. It also grows about an inch a day. It is a member of the hibiscus family and is worth growing if only for the flowers.

Parsnips, like good carrots, are high in sugars and caramelize exceptionally well when roasted. Very tasty.

January 14, 2009	#18
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	You must try okra. Be warned: it is a big plant. Some varieties are very tall (15 ft?) and some are branching and wide. The complaint about okra is that it is slimy when cooked. The slime doesn't bother me. I can take it. My favorite way to eat okra is to pop it into boiling water for about 5 min, then drain. Don't overcook it. Sprinkle some salt on it, then slice up a nice tomato into chunks and take a bit of okra and then a bite of tomato. The flavors are very complimentary and the acid of the tomato helps cut the okra slime. It is one of my favorite lunch dishes when tomatoes are in high season and the okra is going strong, too. For those of you who haven't grown okra before, it is best picked when very young, no more than 3". After that it gets tough. It also grows about an inch a day. It is a member of the hibiscus family and is worth growing if only for the flowers. Parsnips, like good carrots, are high in sugars and caramelize exceptionally well when roasted. Very tasty. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.