I've never heard of eating it raw. Thanks for posting this. It's harder in the PNW to find fresh okra at the farmer's markets - but I see it once in a while and will try this.

I was surprised at how good it was. But they were small.

That looks really good, Martha!

Raw okra is delicious - esp. when fresh picked. I never seem to grow enough for both eating raw AND cooking.

I never thought of adding it to salads. Looks yummy!

Olychick - If Annie can grow okra in MI then surely you can grow it in the PNW and you don't need a 20 ft row if you aren't going to can them. The continually blooming flowers are beautiful and the pods grow an inch overnight keeping you in little pods for a long time if you pick them every other day. (The bigger they are the tougher they are and nearly inedible to me.) They make good landscape plants grown with sunflowers and basil. As long as you don't use herbicides and pesticides you can plant a lot of food in your front yard that rival annual plantings around the house landscaping. Growing okra is easy - plant when the soil temp is 65F after soaking the seeds overnight. They love hot summers best but will grow well anywhere, just not as prolifically and not 8' tall like they do here in NC. I like a combo of tiny okra pods, cherry tomatoes and shallots with garlicky Italian dressing. They are high in antioxidants, Vitamin A and C, and trace minerals. They don't keep well and that is why you don't see them in grocery stores very often - two days from picking is all the time you have until they get tough and blacken, even the little ones. They do freeze well though to use in gumbo, and I chop them up very tiny to add to my chili and baked beans in the middle of winter as hidden vegetables.

I agree, okra is a beautiful plant with wonderful flowers. Don't forget to look up recipes for cooking okra leaves.

dcarch

Thanks, Nancy, I live in the forest so not enough heat or sun (I think our growing season is iffy for okra- even in a more veggie friendly site). Plus, it's not a big seller here, since people never have grown it (I think some farmers with greenhouses have luck) and it's not a traditional food like in the south. So farmers tend to plant what they know they can sell and I don't think okra is a big seller.

It's only been in the last few years that I've seen farmers having success with melons. Probably new varieties, a little global warming, and greenhouses have contributed. Melons are usually much smaller than those grown in hotter climates. Some farmers are also now able to grow peppers, which were always an iffy crop in most of the area. Not sure many hot peppers are grown, but you do see them more these days. (I'm talking farmers' markets - all are available at supermarkets). Also, they were never a big seller to the large Scandinavian population in the Seattle area, but with the rampant growth here, there is more diversity and demand for a wider selection of food.

I had never eaten okra other than fried okra or okra in gumbo -- both eaten out, until we started getting it in our farm share last summer. We started with the familiar and made and oven "fried" okra and then a pot of gumbo, then I found another recipe where the okra was seared in a skillet before being added to other ingredients. I tasted it at that point and was surprised that it tasted good. LOL Growing up, I just heard that it was slimey and no one seemed to like it. I considered growing some this year, but then worried about getting too much with the farm share too. I am going to have to try it raw now.

There are a lot of ways to eat okra that most people don't think about. Indian stuffed bhindi, in which the okra is slit, stuffed with spices, and quick fried, is really good. Marjorie Rawlings used to serve small okra pods in a circle on a plate with a little bowl of hollandaise, but other dipping sauces are also good.

But if you decide to grow it, you might want to have a chat with your local police:

http://www.ajc.com/news/national/okra-mistaken-for-pot-man-garden/UkcCvbX6TMOassngWTFtyJ/

If they don't know what okra looks like in GA, I think the odds are super low anywhere else.

I grew okra because Nancy told me what kind and how to pickle it. She's right, the blooms are beautiful, as pretty as any of the ornamentals I've seen. I probably would haven't gotten more of a harvest, except the beetles also loved the stuff and kept the leaves pretty much eaten off all the way to the stalks.

Annie

"--But if you decide to grow it, you might want to have a chat with your local police:---"

Interesting! never mind the salad thing. I will try smoke ( and inhale) some.

dcarch

I love okra! Thanks for the recipe.