My experience with okra is limited (have had it but not often enough to count) but I do know of people who have done something similar to what you describe with zucchini flats which are breaded and lightly pre-cooked and then frozen. I don't see any reason why okra wouldn't work equally well.

Carol

Well, I tried it with one batch. I am going to test it at monthly intervals just to see so that I am ready next year! Thank you, Carol, for the encouragement.

Did you blanch them whole or diced? Obviously if you cut them and then blanch , they will get slimy. Sure thing.

The blanching time should be short then you have to cool them in ice water, then rinse, then freeze.

The key is NOT to slice, if you don't like that slimy feel. Only cut the part of the stem that is sticking out too much. Any fresh cut will leach out the jelly.

This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, Oct 25, 13 at 0:40

I blanched them both ways: whole and sliced. I followed the instructions in the Ball Canning Book. Both methods were incredibly slimy. And, yes. I was very careful to not remove too much stem.

My MIL always put her okra in a very hot cast iron skillet and sauteed it before adding it to her gumbo. Never slimy.

That is why I was thinking that I could maybe blanch them in a hot oven. (425)

I will try to remember to post here the results of my experiment.

I would think that it can be done in the oven too, as long as they are spread on a sheet.

But with blanching in boiling water, you cool them in ice water and then you can wash off/ rinse to get slight stickyness off. I have done myself only couple of times.

Take that okra and pickle it! I sell hundreds of jars of it and my whole family devours it - who like it better than dill pickles even! Recipe is easy, jars keep for 2 years in pantry but refrigerated once opened. Never ever slimy.
Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Pickled Okra

I am so glad this post popped back up for me to see it! We have fried okra until we are tired of it and I needed something to do with my okra. We tried this and we all LOVED it!!

Thanks so much for posting this, I will be making a lot of this I know!! We have suddenly gone from too much okra to not enough!!

We tried salt and pepper and garlic salt and both were good. I would love to know some other seasoning combinations that you have tried and liked. I am going to also try cajun seasoning for sure and maybe some kind of parmesan garlic or something like that.

Thanks again!

Carly

I know I had seen somewhere a recipe for oven blanching okra. Darned if I can find it now! Anyway, I'm growing it for the first time this year and it is just coming in. I have some in the oven, but next time I will skip the bread crumbs. I really hope this works. My green bean crop is set back weeks with too much rain and too many hungry varmints. I need some veggies in my freezer this winter!

I'm so glad people are trying this. It is so easy, nutritious and delicious! I have done a lot of oven roast combinations with okra too. You can put okra, cherry tomatoes cut in half, onion, peppers together for a wonderful roast. If you want mexican flare, sprinkle it all with some cumin with the garlic salt. I have also combined okra with corn and eggplant. Roast all of these just as specified above. Enjoy!

Now that I've been clued in, I wish I would have planted more okra!

I don't like mine cut into rounds - does this work the same, 450F for 5min, if I am preparing the okra whole?

<does this work the same, 450F for 5min, if I am preparing the okra whole?>

Whole would definitely take a bit longer but how long depends on how roasted you want it. Fully roasted would take longer - I'd estimate 15 -18 mins. with some turning. But you could tell by looking at it if it was done enough for you. If you only want it lightly pre-roasted for freezing and then cooking later then maybe 8-10 mins would do.

Dave

It occurred to me, since that is what I am working on today, is that you can do the same thing with slices of eggplant.

dave

Digdirt, that is a brilliant idea! I love eggplant and have searched the web trying to find a way to preserve it for the winter. I never one time considered this. I am going to give it a try!

I like eggplant Parmesan so what I do is prepare the eggplant by dipping slices in egg, then breadcrumbs, and bake them until lightly browned on both sides. Then instead of preparing the dish, freeze the baked slices. Once frozen, drop them into freezer bags. Later on, remove what you need and add them to your recipe. Works well for me.

Can you blanch okra in microwave?

If you can keep the water boiling for 3-4 min. sure. But you'll be cooking the okra at the same time since MW doesn't just affect the water but the food too. Much easier IMO to steam blanch it. Leaves it less slimey too.

Dave

Can one fry okra and then freeze it? Maybe the frying would be in lieu of the blanching process? Then you could always roll them around a bit in a cast iron pan to crisp them up a bit when you are ready to defrost and eat?

We never blanch ours. Just cut it and put into ziplocs. I think as long as your using it within a year that's fine. We eat mostly fried or in a gumbo or something. Havent tried oven roasted but will. Sounds great. We did buy some "okra chips" and loved them... should be similar