Okra is one of those classic southern vegetables. It loves the heat and scoffs at 95 degree temperatures and 80% humidity. It proudly stands at 5-6 feet tall a month after the tomato plants have withered and died. Even though I grew up in Texas, I did not grow up eating okra. Probably because as a kid I didn’t like vegetables and I bet my parents were not fans of okra (maybe they’ll leave a comment on this post and we’ll find out why we never had okra ;)). I’ve never eaten okra as an adult, so what possessed me to plant it in my garden!? Please refer to paragraph #1.
Last year I planted an okra plant. It did great, but I had no idea when to harvest or what to cook, so no okra was actually consumed. This year, I have two Clemson Spineless plants. They’ve been producing for about a month, but I never seem to get out to the garden fast enough to harvest them before they get too big, so most have gone to the compost pile.
When you see so many 5” long okras, it skews your perception of what is ready to be picked and what isn’t. According to the internet, okra should be picked when it is 2”-3” (but that does vary according to the variety you plant). That means checking on the plants every other day so the okra doesn’t get too big. It grows so fast you can almost see it growing right before your eyes.
Tonight, I chose the smallest of the okra that I’ve harvested, I had about a cups worth (which I am equating to a half pound). I cooked Indian-style Okra from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. It turned out great! I used butter, just like the recipe called for, not margarine or any other butter substitute. We get our organic grass-fed butter from US Wellness Meats.
There’s more okra coming every day, does anyone have any other okra recipes I should try?
