It’s that time of year in my garden when all I grow is okra. Aside from tropical and citrus fruits, okra is just about the only crop that can withstand the three to five months of daily 90+ temperatures typical of summer here in central Florida. In fact, okra does better than just survive the relentless heat. It thrives in it. Being a relative of hibiscus might have something to do with that.
I’m not a southern girl by any means, and I wasn’t raised on steamed, pickled or fried okra. However, many, many years ago, when I lived in Tennessee for a short time, I worked for a restaurant that made a mean bowl of gumbo. I was hooked immediately! So, every summer I grow about a dozen okra plants that produce just enough okra pods to make a couple of pots of gumbo throughout the year.
Okra is pretty easy to grow. The seed coat is hard, so soak the seeds overnight in warm water to speed up germination. I find that I only have to weed early on. The tall plants provide a lot shade which deters most weeds. Although the okra enjoys our daily rains, it’s also drought-tolerant and does just fine if the soil dries out for a couple of days.
This year, whiteflies have been a major problem. Most plants can survive a whitefly infestation, but their feeding on plant sap does take its toll on plant vigor and production. I’m a big fan of neem oil for garden pest control, but the neem wasn’t even making a dent in the whiteflies. Insecticidal soap did the trick, though. I started with some store-bought insecticidal soap that I already had on hand. When that ran out, I made my own which has been working very well and only cost about a quarter to make! If you choose an insecticidal soap over a chemical pesticide, remember that you’ll need to re-apply it every couple of days.
Once the okra starts producing, be ready to pick ripe pods twice a day. Yes, they grow and mature that quickly! Pick pods when they’re about 3 or 4 inches long. Any longer and they become hard and woody and no amount of cooking can make them edible.
I leave my okra in the refrigerator for a day or two until I get a couple of pounds worth before freezing. I freeze it in one pound packs of already sliced okra. When it comes time to make my gumbo, I just open the bag and toss it in!
Freezing okra is as easy as freezing any other fresh veggies. Pick it, wash it, blanch it, and freeze it. That’s all there is to it.
What you need:
Fresh Okra
Pot of boiling water
Bowl filled with ice and water
Colander
Sharp knife
Freezer-quality plastic zipper bags
1. Whether you’ve grown your okra in your backyard or picked it up at a local produce stand or from a good friend who has extra, be sure to wash it.
2. Trim the tops and tips. Be careful. If you cut too to far down on either end, you’ll expose the seeds and have a real mess on your hands.
3. Cook trimmed okra in boiling water for 3 minutes.
4. Immediately transfer okra to the ice bath to stop the cooking. A slotted spoon works best here. Add more ice as needed.
5. When okra is cool, about five minutes, let it drain for a minute or two in a colander.
6. Pack okra into zipper bags whole or slice crosswise into half-inch pieces and then pack into bags. Place closed filled bags in freezer.
That’s all there is to it!
Tips:
Not everyone blanches their okra before freezing. I do know people who simply wash their okra then freeze it. Blanching vegetable destroys the enzymes that, over time, affect the color, flavor, texture, and nutrients of food during frozen storage. If you plan to use the okra relatively soon, you might get away with not blanching it. Personally, I would rather blanch it and not have to worry about how long it’s in my freezer.
If you like fried okra, you can bread it before freezing. After blanching and slicing, dredge okra in cornmeal or flour. Spread the breaded okra in a single layer in trays and place in the freezer until frozen, about 3-4 hours. Bag the frozen breaded okra in freezer quality zipper bags, and store in the freezer.
Don’t forget to toss those tops and tips in your compost pile, and pour the cooled blanching water and the melted ice bath water on your flowers. They’ll love you for it!
Not a big fan of okra? Try this gumbo recipe, and you might change your mind.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
1 pound Andouille sausage
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cooking oil
1 quart chicken stock or water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
1 pound sliced okra, fresh or frozen
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, and ground red pepper
Cooked rice
Remove casing from sausage. In a medium skillet, crumble and brown sausage. Drain and set aside.
To make the roux, in a Dutch oven, stir together flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir constantly for about 15 minutes more until the roux turns dark and coppery like the color of a tarnished penny.
Carefully, stir in stock. Remember, you are adding room temperature or cooler liquid to hot oil. Be Careful! Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high heat until gumbo begins to bubble. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer about an hour, stirring occasionally. The gumbo will thicken as it simmers and its flavors blend. Serve over hot cooked rice.
Tips:
- Can’t find Andouille sausage? You can substitute Italian sausage for the Andouille. You’re losing the smokiness of the Andouille, but it’ll still be yummy. I wasn’t familiar with Andouille sausage when I first started making gumbo and was a bit leery of trying it, so I started with a mild Italian sausage then tried hot Italian. It was very good both times. Not as good as with Andouille, but still yummy.
- Try making the rice with chicken stock and a little thyme or parsley for more flavor.
- If you use fresh-milled whole wheat flour, your roux will be a bit darker than roux made with all-purpose flour.
- For a special treat, add ½ pound peeled and deveined shrimp to the pot in the last five minutes of cooking. Be sure the shrimp is cooked through before serving.
My husband and I are taking a six-week dietary challenge. Sausage and chicken are not on the menu. I can wait. Besides, gumbo tastes best when it's a bit nippy outside.
GNOWFGLINS’ Simple Lives Thursday
by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He's presents some very interesting information and the results of some very interesting studies. I'll leave it to you to decide if his ideas are crazy or healthy. 