Okra (Clemson Spineless)

[Durgan]

Picked a bit of Okra today. My climate area is marginal for growing okra. This was the first picking and the pods were very tough and fibrous. The pods must be picked when very young. It is Clemson Spineless. I put any pods found in the current juice being made.

[AlittleSalt]

Durgan, when to pick okra is basically, "When it feels right to the slight pinch." If it is as hard as a rock - it's compost food. If it feels supple - pick it - eat it.

It's not like picking tomatoes. A firm tomato is good - firm okra is not.

[dahoss2002]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Durgan, when to pick okra is basically, "When it feels right to the slight pinch." If it is as hard as a rock - it's compost food. If it feels supple - pick it - eat it.

It's not like picking tomatoes. A firm tomato is good - firm okra is not.

Like he said....It is very good when tender..fried, stewed with tomatoes, etc..

It does impart a "slime" when used in stews and gumbo unless you cook that out first. You will probably notice that in your juice too.

[Tracydr]

I like okra roasted in a pan with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt. I don't even slice them. They don't get slimed this way and are very healthy/delicious.
Gives me a healthy snack during the summer. Boiled peanuts is my other go-to when craving salty snack type food.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I like okra roasted in a pan with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt. I don't even slice them. They don't get slimed this way and are very healthy/delicious.
Gives me a healthy snack during the summer. Boiled peanuts is my other go-to when craving salty snack type food.

That's exactly how I like them too. They get crunchy and nutlike, zero slime.

I have been sateeing with olive oil and garlic, and fresh mushrooms, very hot pan. No slime and seriously yummy. Can add some eggplant too. Mmmmmm.

Durgan, the easiest way to tell you is cut when they are a finger length long. About 5 days after they bloom.

[ContainerTed]

I grow a 50' row of densely planted Clemson Spineless every year. I love fried okra and that means it must be tender to start with. I harvest every 2.5 to 3 days. Anything over 1.5 inches is removed, cut into pieces for frying, and put into freezer bags. Toward the end of the season, the okra grows a bit slower, and can become fibrous more quickly. We adjust the harvest frequency accordingly to get the most tender pieces. During this time, harvest criteria becomes "anything that's large enough to make one piece for frying". Also, a daily trip to the okra patch is made to removed dead leaves. Blooms that set and the closed bloom has not dropped off are "helped out". This greatly reduces the number of pods that develop a bend.

During harvesting, even the best eyes will miss a pod from time to time. When we finally find those (and they're just like Durgan described) we don't throw them. They are cut up a bit and dehydrated until crisp. Then, the dried pieces get a trip to the processor and made into a course powder (actually down to the consistancy of corn meal). This can be added to soups and such. It also finds its way into cornbread and some other breads we make.

If you just pulse the processor and end up with a fine chop, then you also get some eye appeal when adding it to other dishes/recipes. It's almost like a filler.

[AlittleSalt]

That's a good idea Ted. I had not thought about dehydrating and grinding them up.

[rick9748]

I think you have the growing okra thing all figgered out but I love the idea of grinding it and using it later to season your food.I will surely add that to my list of things to remember.
My main crop is tomatoes and I am always looking for better ideas on how to grow them.You sound like an experienced gardener, any helpful tips.
Thanks
Rick

[Worth1]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/h...le-powder.html

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by rick9748

I think you have the growing okra thing all figgered out but I love the idea of grinding it and using it later to season your food.I will surely add that to my list of things to remember.
My main crop is tomatoes and I am always looking for better ideas on how to grow them.You sound like an experienced gardener, any helpful tips.
Thanks
Rick

In your location, you should consider some shade for the plants when the sun and the heat is high. But the most important thing is the soil. Pay attention to the micronutrients and add good compost. But, the more compost you add, the more heat the soil will retain in summer. This can "cook" the root systems over time and weaken the plants

If I was located in SC, I would build overhead structures that would add some shade to my garden. If you get sunscald every year, you can use some shade.

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

That's a good idea Ted. I had not thought about dehydrating and grinding them up.

When those skins and seeds come out of the food mill when you're making tomato juice, dry and grind them into tomato powder. Same uses as the Okra above. Use both together to get some color into dishes without overwhelming the original taste of the dish.

Don't waste anything that tastes good.

[imp]

Durgan, your okra looks too big to me, but I cut my pods when they are pretty small. Nothing more than 2.5 inches. For us, this is just the right size for pickling, grilling, and all the other uses. If we miss some and they get big, those pods are allowed to set for next years seeds.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by imp

Durgan, your okra looks too big to me, but I cut my pods when they are pretty small. Nothing more than 2.5 inches. For us, this is just the right size for pickling, grilling, and all the other uses. If we miss some and they get big, those pods are allowed to set for next years seeds.

You are right, they are too large. I wont get many pods this year due to cool weather. I love the flower. It is almost identical to the ground cherry,Physalis pruinosa.

[MuddyBuckets]

Hi all, just thought I'd chime in on this okra thread. Okra never grew well in my raised beds the last few years, small, skinny and very few pods. This year I grew Clemson Spineless (just what I had seeds for) in 5 gallon buckets lined with landscape fabric with ~30 or so 1" holes and drainage holes closer to the bottom, NOT swc, top watered. These were on my deck so I could keep them in the sun most of the day. Each bucket had 4 seeds planted, all came up and grew and provided enough okra (picked at 3" or so) all summer for great meals.

okra-2015.jpg



This was in June, just before the production started. Picked 1-2 okra a day for 3 months, plants ended up 6'tall.

[WhippoorwillG]

Okra observations:

They are generally not a fan of transplanting, as they like to put down deep roots which dont like to be disturbed. Transplanted okra is severly stunted in height IME, but still produces pods.

In my climate, the first pods can get very large and remain very tender because they grow so fast with a lot of moisture. As the season heats up, we pick smaller and smaller to avoid the tough stringy pods.

Clemson Spineless is a classic and always a safe bet, but if you like fried okra and climate permits, try Star of David and/or Hill Country Red. They make large, tasty wagon wheel pieces that are gorgeous fried and hold breading better because of the larger cut area.