Okra variety recommendation

[Fusion_power]

I'll answer from the perspective of having grown about 50 varieties of okra and having found a very few that are really good and very productive.

1. Burmese - this is a true dwarf variety but has a serious flaw in that it quits producing after about 30 pods per plant regardless of whether you keep it picked or not. Eating quality is good to excellent fried, and makes decent boiled okra. Burmese holds tender on the plant for 2 - 3 days but is best picked daily at less than 4 inches long for eating quality. It can be fried or boiled but is not good pickled.

2. Evertender - This is a decent producer of frying okra that makes relatively slim plants up to 7 feet tall. It is moderately productive and easy to grow. The plants are so slim that they can be leaned over very easily, even by the weight of growing pods. This okra is best if harvested daily, the pods get tough at 4 to 5 inches long. It can be used fried or boiled but not pickled.

3. Granny Franklin - This is the best overall variety I've grown. It is more versatile than Clemson Spineless and more productive than most commercial varieties. The only weakness this variety has is that it is relatively slow to start production, about a week longer to first harvest than Burmese. Otherwise, the plants are sturdy, production is high, flavor is excellent, and the pods can be used fried, boiled, pickled, or roasted. No other okra I've grown combines this many good traits. It is just about the same as clemson spineless for prickly spines. Wear long sleeves when you harvest it. This okra is best if harvested daily but can go every other day most of the time.

4. Cowhorn - is my standard variety but can be HUGE. I've had plants 15 feet tall. It is a very tender okra with relatively few spines. The pods stay tender on the plant up to 8 inches long and sometimes even longer if there is lots of rain. This is an excellent fried okra but is not a good pickling okra.

5. Longhorn - This is another good variety with excellent production. It is longer season than some but still a top notch producer. The plants top out about 5 to 6 feet tall. Pods toughen up relatively fast so should be picked daily at less than 4 inches long. It can be fried or boiled but is not a good pickled okra.

Sandhill Preservation is an excellent source for okra seed.
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/

Here is a pic of cowhorn that you will enjoy. This photo was taken by me standing up holding my camera above my head and pointing nearly straight up. As you can see, the plants get TALL.
http://www.selectedplants.com/garden.../Okra.pods.jpg

DarJones

[ChrisK]

Thanks all for the great info! I will pick a couple of varieties and give it a whirl. I cant plant anything too "weird" though.

We love her to death but: a tomato should be "red all the way through" and peelable. Better Boy and Celebrity are about the pinnacle of tomatoness! She shakes her head at my 40 varieties.

I would imagine she will have the same opinion of "exotic" Okra as well! heheheh.

[b54red]

DarJones, I also make Cowhorn my main okra; but I like to pick it when it is no more than 5 inches long. I use Beck's for frying because it makes very thick pods which means less time frying and cutting up. Becks will get nearly as big as a soda can but I like to pick it when it is about 4 inches long and even at that point it is fairly thick. A few slices of Becks is equal to about a dozen slices of other varieties and when frying that can really be a time saver.

[Tracydr]

Any comment on red varieties? I'd live to grow some, they're so pretty. Okra growing space is a bit limited so I need to pick wisely. I usually grow Clemson spineless. I grew some other varieties this year but they didn't produce as well, although they also didn't have prime real estate. I think cowwhorn may be worth planting again.

[Fusion_power]

Red River, Alabama Red, and Burgundy in that sequence are the best reds I've grown. Burgundy is more of an ornamental okra than an edible in my opinion. It gets tough at 3 inches long.

DarJones

[shelleybean]

I've always grown green or "white" varieties, which are really pale green but I've always wondered if the red varieties turn green when cooked, like the purple beans.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by shelleybean

I've always grown green or "white" varieties, which are really pale green but I've always wondered if the red varieties turn green when cooked, like the purple beans.

Good question. I was wondering that, too. Do they keep color grilled or pickled, too?

[ContainerTed]

The vast majority of my okra eating is Fried Okra. The Red Velvet and one other red one that a neighbor gave us some seed for did not turn green when fried. We had some mixed skillets where both red and green were present and you could easily tell one from the other.

Maybe someone else can talk to other cooking methods.

[Fusion_power]

My red okra turns brown when I cook (fry) it.

DarJones

[ScottinAtlanta]

Dar Jones, Thanks for your post above comparing different varieties. Very helpful to me. Best wishes for the holidays, Scott

[sirtanon]

I picked up some seed for Millionaire (F1) on sale at Johnny's Select Seeds.. anyone have any experience on this one?

[lurley]

This was my first year growing okra since I moved north, I grew Louisiana Emerald green, it was delish.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

[Keiththibodeaux]

Of the 5 varieties I grew this year, Zing Orange was my favorite. Not advocating buying from Baker Creek, but that is where I got my seed. 100% germination. http://rareseeds.com/jing-orange-okra.html

[Neohippie]

When I pickled some red okra something weird happened. The red color bled out of the pods into the brine. Ended up with green pickles floating in pink brine. Looked kind of cool, but I don't know if the pink color will last, or if it will oxidize into something less appealing.

I'm still looking for an okra that's good for pickling, where the pods don't get too long too fast. I seem to have trouble picking them before they're too long to fit in a standard pint jar. Might have to hunt down Granny Franklin.

[Fusion_power]

Lol Neo, get Granny. You'll find that it is a superb pickling okra. As for picking it at the right time, that is up to you. You will have to be out there harvesting it every other day at a minimum. I might also suggest asking for good recipes for making pickled okra. Most of them result in mushy okra that could have been used in making the Ghostbusters movie. (He slimed me!)

For background, Granny Franklin was a family heirloom from the Franklin family near Bear Creek Alabama. I got seed a few years ago and sent a few quarts to Glenn at Sandhill. I've grown it and enjoyed it at least every other week for the last 10 years (meaning I eat the pickled and then fried okra regularly). It is an outstandingly good old heirloom okra. I suspect it started from a known commercial variety many years ago, but cannot find any other okra that is similar enough to say it could have been the parent. There are a lot of similarities to Clemson Spineless, but equally as many huge differences.

I still like my Cowhorn too. But I don't eat it 30 or more times a year.

DarJones