According to Edward Gilbreath, son of the infamous columnist who wrote under the pseudonym of Ashley Cooper for the Post and Courier, “One of the running gags in my father’s long-standing daily column of some 40 years was his aversion to okra. He just couldn’t stand it — particularly plain boiled okra.” Personally, I love fried okra.
This summer’s heat has provided plenty of these “love ’em or hate ’em” pods, so much so that I am pickling okra and making gumbo for the freezer as well as craving the traditional fried okra side dish. Okra pods can be fried, stewed, pickled and even eaten raw. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a flowering plant in the mallow family native to East Africa, cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions of the world.
If you look closely at the lovely flower of okra, you’ll also see a resemblance to a hibiscus flower. That is no coincidence. Okra is a member of the hibiscus family.
Okra has fibrous fruits or pods, each containing rows of round, white seeds. It is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world. Biologically classified as a fruit, okra is generally utilized like a vegetable in cooking.
Sometimes referred to as “lady’s finger,” okra comes in two colors — red and green. Both varieties taste the same, and the red one turns green when cooked. The plant was introduced from East Africa to the Americas by 1658.
Its presence was first recorded in Brazil. The first use of the word okra (alternatively okro or ochro) appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia. The name is derived from Igbo: ọ́kwụ̀rụ̀.
By 1748, okra was grown as far north as Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson noted that it was well established in Virginia by 1781. In fact, Thomas Jefferson grew okra in his vegetable gardens at Monticello.
“An heirloom cultivar, Cow’s Horn, may be very similar to the ones he grew,” explains Craig R. Andersen, Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas. Okra had become commonplace throughout the Southern United States by 1800.
From its African roots to its status today as a staple in Southern American cuisine, okra has been enjoyed over the centuries in a variety of styles and dishes. Fried okra might be the presentation style the vegetable is most known for these days, but before it was battered and deep fried, generations of people used okra in soups, where its slimy texture can act as a natural thickener. The Gullah Geechee people (descendants of enslaved Africans along the lower Atlantic coast and the region known as the Lowcountry) have a longstanding connection to okra as a staple in their cuisine and heritage.
One of their popular dishes is a simple, nourishing soup of okra, tomatoes, and smoked meat served over rice. In Cuba and Puerto Rico, the vegetable is referred to as quimbombó, and is used in dishes such as quimbombó guisado (stewed okra), a dish similar to gumbo. The word gumbo was first used in American English around 1805, derived from Louisiana Creole, and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806.
Okra is typically used as a thickener in gumbo , a custom traditionally attributed to Louisiana Cuisine. The pods of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked. The mucilage contains soluble fiber which is one reason that this vegetable is recommended by many health-oriented foodies.
One way to de-slime okra is to cook it with an acidic food such as tomatoes to minimize mucilage. Okra plants can grow over 6 feet tall. Okra can be harvested for upwards of 12 weeks if properly watered, fertilized and picked in a timely manner.
Okra grows very fast; therefore, it must be harvested at a minimum of every two days. Do not allow pods to mature on the plant because these ripening pods will inhibit more pods from developing and reduce the total productivity of the plant. Okra has large, hairy leaves, as well as tiny spines on its pods, both of which may cause skin irritation, so consider wearing gloves and/or long sleeves when handling.
“Spineless” types have pods that do not present this problem. Okra can be harvested by hand, but using pruning shears or a sharp knife can minimize damage to the plant. Handle okra carefully because the pods bruise easily.
The best pods are only 2 to 4 inches long. This is when okra is at its softest and most digestible. Cut the stem just above the cap with a knife.
If the stem is too hard to cut, the pod is probably too old and should be tossed. Only one pod grows beneath each leaf, so you can break off the leaf after harvesting the pod. During the hottest and often driest parts of the summer, okra may slow down production.
If your harvest tapers off and okra slows or ceases flower production, then Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center recommends “ratooning” okra, usually in mid-August. Ratooning is the process of cutting the stem of a plant, causing it to push out new growth and produce another crop later in the fall. Okra should be pruned to 6 to 12 inches above the soil line.
Once plants are cut, gardeners should apply a fertilizer with a 1:2 ratio of nitrogen to potassium to encourage growth and stimulate flower production. When harvest time is over, okra pods can be left on the plant to dry to save seed for next year. Dried okra pods and stalks can look beautiful as flower arrangements or holiday decorations.
In fact, you may recall that last year’s prize-winning tree decorated by Aiken’s Master Gardeners for the Visitor’s Center at the Train Museum featured a multitude of glittery okra pods!.
