Okra okay on any occasion
Okra is a heat-loving plant in the same family as cotton, cocoa, hibiscus and mallow. Folks who study things figure it originated in Ethiopia, Eritrea and west to Sudan because it can be found growing wild there. The next time you sail up the Nile, you might see it growing six-to-ten feet tall along the riverbanks.
It had migrated to the Middle East and India by 2000 years ago, and soon enough made its way around the Mediterranean perimeter. Slave traders brought it to Brazil and Surinam by mid-17th century. They also brought slaves and okra to the United States about the same time where it became popular because it grew well in the American South.
A reasonable question is why did people take okra with them to all moderate temperatures around the world? It is among the most heat-tolerant of plants in the world. The stalks easily reach six feet tall producing edible pods containing white seeds. The young leaves can be eaten in the same way as brassica greens, and a healthy okra plant in good conditions might produce thirty or more pods before the weather turns cool.
Ancient okra farmers used the seeds to make okra oil for use in cooking, and it is still used in kitchens around the Mediterranean because it withstands high temperatures. The oil also hydrates skin and contributes to a rejuvenated complexion, so rub it in. I’ll bet Cleopatra knew about okra oil.
The ripe seeds can be roasted and ground into a substitute for coffee. When the Civil War interrupted import of coffee, a Texas newspaper claimed, “An acre of okra will produce seed enough to furnish a plantation with coffee in every way equal to that imported from Rio.”
Okra plants are self-pollinating, so a gardener can save seeds from pods at the end of the season to use for planting next year.
Okra flowers resemble hibiscus and mallow flowers, but – get your phone ready – the flowers pose for one day only.
The pods grow quickly and should be harvested for eating while immature, which means within four or five days after the bloom is gone. In other words, pay attention to your okra or else the pods lignify and become too fibrous to eat.
The scientific name of okra is Abelmoschus esculentus which ought to be the name of the hero in a spy novel. No country grows more okra than India, which invests just over a million acres to produce six million tons annually which is at least 60 percent of the world’s total. Nigeria and Mali are next in production.
In the United States, Florida produces the most. You might remember their slogan, “A day without okra is like a day without sunshine.” Florida is so humid and warm (and rife with unscrupulous politicians), okra can grow ten months of the year there. Floridian farmers grow okra commercially on 1500 acres and yields equal 20,000-30,000 pounds per acre. That’s gumbo-normous!
Okra pods can be dried and stored for use later.
Okra does not get airtime for its nutrition benefits like spinach, oranges and goji berries, but one source claimed it has as much Vitamin C as tangerines and more than beet greens. It is rich in antioxidants (which attack dangerous free radicals and protect our cells from damage) and polyphenols (for heart and brain health). It also contains lectin, a protein which is being studied for its potential in treating cancer cells. Those are good things. Eat your okra.
Some folks avoid okra because it is mucilaginous, aka, slimy. Sliced okra pieces about 1/3-inches long roasted at 425° for 12-15 minutes won’t be so slimy. Anoint them with olive oil. Eat ‘em up. Your lectin depends on it.
There is also frying, grilling and, my favorite, pickling. Cajun cuisine is famous for gumbo, a stew which includes okra and a miscellany of vegetables and meats, some of which (it’s the Cajun way) to be named later.