Okra, fruit of a large vegetable plant thought to be of African origin, was brought to the United States three centuries ago by African slaves. The word, derived from the West African nkruma, was in use by the late 1700s. Grown in tropical and warm temperate climates, it is in the same family as the hibiscus and cotton plants.
Okra is often available fresh year-round in the South, and from May to October in many other areas. You can also find okra frozen, pickled, and canned in some regions. When buying fresh okra, look for young pods free of bruises, tender but not soft, and no more than 4 inches long. It may be stored in the refrigerator in a paper bag or wrapped in a paper towel in a perforated plastic bag for 2 to 3 days, or it may be frozen for up to 12 months after blanching whole for 2 minutes. Cooked okra can be stored (tightly covered) in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
When cut, okra releases a sticky substance with thickening properties, useful for soups and stews. Gumbos, Brunswick stew, and pilaus are some well-known dishes which commonly use okra.
Okra can be served raw, marinated in salads or cooked on its own, and goes well with tomatoes, onions, corn, peppers, and eggplant. Whole, fresh okra pods also make excellent pickles.
Its subtle flavor can be compared to eggplant, though the texture is somewhat unusual. Many people prefer breaded and fried okra, because the slippery substance is less pronounced.
JGUICE 8/15/05 11:27 A
I'm from the south and we eat Okra like crazy. It is really good in the skillet cooked with Tomatoes and onions. My husband will only eat it fried. Go figure.
You can use can Tomatoes and frozen Okra when okra is out of season. Just put about a Tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet, use fresh or frozen okra and put it in the skillet with a can of crush tomatoes, I like mine spicy so I use hot rotel tomatoes. Put a lid on it and let it simmer down until the okra is tender. You can add cut up onions or not.
We also eat pickled okra which is really good.
MRS.SIX 8/11/05 5:08 P
Okra grows like crazy, I'm not sure if its seasonal but I know once you plant one the grow like crazy. I like putting it in soups and I also like it just microwaved with some salt and pepper but others always think I'm gross for eating it that way. I believe that it is really high in fiber also. Kind of slimmy and has a bunch of little white seeds in it that are edible.
SPARK_COACH_JEN 8/10/05 9:28 A
Peggy,
I've only had okra once, and it was fried
I've heard that it doesn't have a lot of taste on it's own and that's why a lot of people eat it fried. I know it's pretty commonly eaten in the South, but I don't know much more about it.
I'm sure if you ask the produce manager at your grocery store, they could tell you a little more about it.
Coach Jen
PEGGYSUE_13 8/9/05 11:49 P
Thank you for the information. Do you like Ocra? What does it taste like?
SPARK_COACH_JEN 8/9/05 8:47 A
Peggysue,
Most of our recipes don't have pictures to go along with them, so I'm sorry that's not much help. Our recipes come from a variety of sources, but it's not usually us cooking them in the kitchen.
Ocra is a vegetable- if you go to the produce section of your grocery store and ask someone, they should be able to tell you if they carry it or not (not sure if it's a seasonal veggie or year round).
Hope that helps!
Coach Jen
PEGGYSUE_13 8/8/05 6:59 P
I have to work at trying to be a good cook. It would be helpful for me if you could show a picture of what the recipe should look like.
Since I am asking, it would be nice if there was a place to see a "pic" of an ingredient. What is orca?
