Floating Seeds

[AlittleSalt]

Starlight, I'm curious if it's itchy too...as well as how it tastes.

The two varieties I'm growing are separate gardens that are 90' apart. I'm hoping to save seeds if we like the way they taste and grow.

[Starlight]

Probably too late for you, since you already have them planted, but what I plan on doing since I have more than one variety is to stagger the plant dates. So I have first blooms coming in at different times. That way I can bag the first blossoms that develop on the first variety that develops and save that seed so I know it won't be crossed.

Have you tried the Cowhorn Okra yet? I have heard that it is really a good tasting Okra. I have seed for it and may wait a couple weeks and germinate some of it and see how it does.

I am hoping the Heavy Hitter lives up to its name and is a heavy producer. If I am going to get all itchy, I want to make it worth my while. A day picking Okra is like a week of having poison ivy.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

And I say that b'c when in the south I've had gumbo, I've had it fried, can't remember the other ways of preparing okra that I've had, but lurking in my mind is the word slimey.

Carolyn

LOL! EVERY great chef knows that you MUST DESLIME the Okra before adding it to a recipe ... Either soak in vinegar and water for an hour or sautee it in olive oil until it stops sticking to each other (about 15 minutes or so).

[Gardeneer]

I have grown okra when I gardened in the south. They are easy to germinate if warm soil.

I love okra but they dont like our cool PNW weather but I've got seeds to give it a try.
My favorite way to prepare, is it to batter (like shrimp) and deep fry. It goes well in stew as well. You can also pickle them.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by rhines81

LOL! EVERY great chef knows that you MUST DESLIME the Okra before adding it to a recipe ... Either soak in vinegar and water for an hour or sautee it in olive oil until it stops sticking to each other (about 15 minutes or so).

Thanks for the tip. Does it matter which kind of vinegar and do you happen to know how much vinegar to water?

This I have to try. I so enjoy Okra, but even I can only handle so many bites of the slimeies.

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by rhines81

LOL! EVERY great chef knows that you MUST DESLIME the Okra before adding it to a recipe ... Either soak in vinegar and water for an hour or sautee it in olive oil until it stops sticking to each other (about 15 minutes or so).

What if your making an Okra based gumbo? Wouldnt that ruin its thickening properties?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Thanks for the tip. Does it matter which kind of vinegar and do you happen to know how much vinegar to water?

This I have to try. I so enjoy Okra, but even I can only handle so many bites of the slimeies.

Acid is the trick.
Any acid.

If you want to really enjoy okra (Bhindi) look up the way they do it in India.


If you are boiling okra whole pod put it in the water with a little acid like vinegar I prefer citrus about 1 table spoon in with it.
Let come to a boil and turn the burner off with a lid on the kettle.
It will cook the rest of the way.
Most people way way over cook okra.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

I have squeezed a half a lemon or lime in boiled okra, and it does what it's supposed to do. It also flavors it, which is really good in some recipes. I haven't tried vinegars. Although I can think of how okra slices cured in rice wine vinegar would look really nice in sushi.

I've also tried to figure out ways to bring out that slimy aesthetic quality. (Basically just in boiled okra) I appreciate the fact that is slimy and so different. I love Cajun food, but I love all food when cooked right using heirloom type vegetables.

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I have squeezed a half a lemon or lime in boiled okra, and it does what it's supposed to do. It also flavors it, which is really good in some recipes. I haven't tried vinegars. Although I can think of how okra slices cured in rice wine vinegar would look really nice in sushi.

I've also tried to figure out ways to bring out that slimy aesthetic quality. (Basically just in boiled okra) I appreciate the fact that is slimy and so different. I love Cajun food, but I love all food when cooked right using heirloom type vegetables.

AlittleSalt, what a great idea about sushi. I will try it this summer. We catch our own saltwater fish. Love fish and fishing.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Stvrob

What if your making an Okra based gumbo? Wouldnt that ruin its thickening properties?

Most people are turned off by the okra slime especially in gumbo. I've never really noticed that adding okra thickened the broth, but then again I always deslime it.
To thicken the gumbo up either reduce the amount of stock used, cook it down or add some filé powder.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Thanks for the tip. Does it matter which kind of vinegar and do you happen to know how much vinegar to water?

This I have to try. I so enjoy Okra, but even I can only handle so many bites of the slimeies.

I usually slice and sautee because it is faster. If you want to soak it, use about a cup of cider vinegar in a quart bowl and fill with slightly hot water. Let sit for an hour, rinse it off then you can either eat it or chop it up and cook with it.

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by rhines81

Most people are turned off by the okra slime especially in gumbo. I've never really noticed that adding okra thickened the broth, but then again I always deslime it.
To thicken the gumbo up either reduce the amount of stock used, cook it down or add some filé powder.

You can use either roux, file, or okra as the thickening agent. If you have okra in a file thickened gumbo, its there as an accessory ingredient, not the base. At least thats my understanding.

[Worth1]

You guys are killing me.

There are two types of gumbo.
File gumbo with no okra.
File is the dried sassafras leaves from the sassafras tree.
Okra gumbo with okra.
Both gumbos have a roux.
I personally dont consider gumbo without okra gumbo because gumbo is the African word for okra and the soup made with it.
But what ever.
All gumbos start out with a roux made with oil and flour.
This roux is cooked until a chocolate brown then the holy trinity is added.
The holy trinity is onions peppers and celery.
Of course garlic red pepper and other spices would be involved.
Then you add broth and what ever meat you like.
I personally like only one type of meat in the gumbo.
If I cook a seafood gumbo the cooked shrimp and scallops are added at the serving and not onto the kettle.
This way the gumbo doesn't take on a strong fishy flavor and you dont over cook the shrimp and scallops.
I will add the okra and let it cook at the very last.
To this day people have no idea what I put in my gumbo.

They wouldn't believe it because it doesn't taste like it is in there.

Worth

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You guys are killing me.

There are two types of gumbo.
File gumbo with no okra.
File is the dried sassafras leaves from the sassafras tree.
Okra gumbo with okra.
Both gumbos have a roux.
I personally dont consider gumbo without okra gumbo because gumbo is the African word for okra and the soup made with it.
But what ever.
All gumbos start out with a roux made with oil and flour.
This roux is cooked until a chocolate brown then the holy trinity is added.
The holy trinity is onions peppers and celery.
Of course garlic red pepper and other spices would be involved.
Then you add broth and what ever meat you like.
I personally like only one type of meat in the gumbo.
If I cook a seafood gumbo the cooked shrimp and scallops are added at the serving and not onto the kettle.
This way the gumbo doesn't take on a strong fishy flavor and you dont over cook the shrimp and scallops.
I will add the okra and let it cook at the very last.
To this day people have no idea what I put in my gumbo.

They wouldn't believe it because it doesn't taste like it is in there.

Worth

Worth, I would eat your gumbo no matter what you put in it.
btw never tasted gumbo in my life ...
I wonder if there is a place in NJ/NY area that makes good gumbo.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Worth, I would eat your gumbo no matter what you put in it.
btw never tasted gumbo in my life ...
I wonder if there is a place in NJ/NY area that makes good gumbo.

Thank you Ella for that I will tell everyone what two ingredients I put in gumbo that baffles people.
Chilli powder and cumin.
Among many others.
And no it doesn't make it taste like chilli.

Now I want gumbo.

Worth