the Okra itch
If you’ve never picked okra, you’re not missing much. The funny-looking vegetable known as a chief ingredient in gumbo grows on a plant with leaves that are itchier than any I’ve ever encountered. Last night I picked a bucketful of okra while the kids played in the garden, and because I forgot to bring gloves or wear long sleeves, my arms and hands itched so much I thought they’d make me crazy. But we always grow okra, and we always risk itchiness to get it off the plants and in the house.
So why is okra worth the trouble? There are several reasons:
It tastes great. There’s nothing like crunchy fried okra, the home-cooked kind that’s lightly breaded, not the completely-batter-dipped kind you buy frozen at the store. And everyone knows that okra is what makes gumbo gumbo. I even love it boiled (slimy but delicious), alone or stewed with onions and tomatoes. (If we’re not cooking it at home — or eating it at my husband’s Aunt Margaret’s house — two of my favorite places to get fried okra are Lulu’s at Homeport in Gulf Shores, Ala., and Ajax Diner in Oxford, Miss.
It’s good for you. An old friend who was a dietitian and a university nutrition professor once told me, “Okra’s so good for you, it doesn’t even matter if you eat it fried.” For years, I’ve taken that as a license to fry it up for supper whenever I get the itch. According to NutritionData.com, she was right about okra’s good traits: it’s “low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium and Manganese.” (Frying it, of course, cancels out some of okra’s good qualities.)
It’s easy to preserve. Some vegetables last longer and taste good later only if they’ve been canned, which can be a laborious, time-intensive process. And some vegetables, such as squash, are easily frozen but should be blanched first to retain their flavor and color. But okra takes hardly any time to preserve: All I do is wash it and pop it into a freezer bag. And it will still taste great, even next February.
It has an interesting history. Okra originated in Africa, and historians believe it arrived in the New World through the slave trade, and may have been first brought to North America by French colonists who settled Louisiana in the 1700s. “It was being grown as far north as Philadelphia in 1748; Jefferson said it was known in Virginia before 1781,” according to the Texas Cooperative Extension.
Leftovers make good craft supplies. At the end of last summer, when we were ready to plow up the remnants of the garden, my mother-in-law was visiting and saw some overgrown okra drying on the vine. She asked if she could take them home to make Christmas ornaments. Sure, we said, a little puzzled. But she’s not the only one. Since then, I’ve seen cute okra-made crafts at craft fairs and online. Some people create okra lizards or okra Santa Claus heads, and while I’m not much of a crafter myself, I admit these look fun to make and could be really unique gifts.
So, do you grow okra? What’s your favorite way to eat it/preserve it/craft with it?
It tastes great. There’s nothing like crunchy fried okra, the home-cooked kind that’s lightly breaded, not the completely-batter-dipped kind you buy frozen at the store. And everyone knows that okra is what makes gumbo gumbo. I even love it boiled (slimy but delicious), alone or stewed with onions and tomatoes. (If we’re not cooking it at home — or eating it at my husband’s Aunt Margaret’s house — two of my favorite places to get fried okra are Lulu’s at Homeport in Gulf Shores, Ala., and Ajax Diner in Oxford, Miss. 
Megan, thank you for reading and commenting! Yes, there’s so much more to say about okra, from the unique flower to the right time to pick. Might have to do another post on it sometime! Thanks for the reminders.
Oh, you are speaking my language!
I think it goes without saying that my favorite way to eat okra is fried, but it’s also surprisingly delicious pickled, just like a cucumber. I don’t see a photo here, but okra’s predecessor on the plant is a pretty yellow flower with a purple-ish center – a unique blossom for an equally unique vegetable. Next to the magnolia and azalea blossoms, it’s the bloom I most closely associate with home (South Carolina).
Okra doesn’t grow well up here in the Midwest, and sadly the few little pods I’ve been able to find at my local farmers market have generally been allowed to get way too big and mature, which renders them virtually unchewable, no matter how they’re prepared. If anyone reading this decides to grow and try okra for the first time, make sure you don’t allow it to get bigger around or longer than the average adult thumb, or you’re not going to get a good, true okra experience. Last thing, I promise: Dried okra pods, wired onto floral picks, make natural and striking addition to colorful fall floral arrangements.
(Sorry for the novel. Clearly the topic of okra’s very near and dear to my heart. Ahem.)
Let me know what you think! My brother, the gardener, clued us in to this method. It really is good.
We’ll forgive you for the fried okra thing because you offered this great idea. I’ve heard others say roasted okra is delicious but I haven’t tried it myself. I’ll have to give it a try this week. Thanks!
My husband says I’m betraying my southern heritage by saying this, but here it is: I do not like fried okra. I don’t like boiled or stewed okra either (sorry Nancy). But I do like it roasted or baked in the oven. It’s very easy. Toss whole okra in a bowl with olive oil and whatever spice you like, then put them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook in the oven at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, tossing every now and then. Delicious!