# Nothing like fresh Okra...



## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Great crop, this year! It just loves the extreme heat weather. I don't have much room and have never had as good of results, as this year. I have more babies in and one more batch, fixin to pop their little heads up. We got a nice little rain, today. Gardening is one of God's blessings!!!


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

My Dad has about 200 feet of okra rows...He's picking a 5gal bucket every few days. And that's without rain.

We LOVE okra....though didn't plant any this year due to planting more maters and peppers.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I only planted 1 50ft.row this year and still need to pickle some,or freeze.I even threw some away the other day.This black land really grows the heck outta it.


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

I am on sand so poor you have to fertilize to grow grassburs and bullnettles, but this year with fertilizer (and a soaker hose lately) have pretty fair okra. My old standby has been Clemson spineless, but this year planted a row of Emerald Velvet also. And the Emerald is way outproducing the Clemson. Rows side by side, same fertilization, same watering. Could be coincidence, but gonna retry next year for grins. (Both are great at the table!)


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

peckerwood said:


> I only planted 1 50ft.row this year ....


LOL, isn't it amazing how much okra you can get off a 50 ft row?

Lunch today...grilled fresh picked Okra , baked new potatoes from spring garden , and a burger. ...yummm


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## Court (Jul 16, 2011)

One of my favorites-Any way you fix it.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I love it pickled.


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## Mrschasintail (Dec 8, 2004)

YUM


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

My wife pickled about a dozen pints last night.My most bestess way to eat it is fried,but gosh almighty it's good grilled or just roasted in the oven.


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

I only like it if fried, boiled, pickled, or in soup or gumbo. But haven't tried grilled or roasted---another culinary experiment on the horizon.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

When I was still working,a cat brought some freeze dried okra that was outstanding.Better than any kind of chips.It was crunchy with seasoning.I think he got it at World Market.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

*OKRA*

Never found a Okra I did not like ;short of too old...Like jm423 + I ,like the grilled and roasted to...Raw young tender wash dry and dip in Ranch..TOO, and they got that handy little handle.(stump)

Mine are really producing ,Only got a 16f row and I get a baseball cap full every other day ..


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## joe h (Jul 3, 2012)

Try this. Cut okra in half long way. Lay on plate face up. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning to your taste. Microwave for two minutes. Quick easy and almost no clean up. And no slime.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

I've never seen okra growing. Anybody got a picture of it growing? Do you cut it a day or 2 after it comes out of the ground like asparagus?


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Here's some shots from today...

The blooms start forming pretty quickly after the plant gets up a foot or so and continues until frost or you get tired of harvesting it, usually the latter comes first around here. The blooms look like Hibiscus as you can see. 

Its important to harvest every day or so to encourage production and to get the fruits before they get too large and woody. 

I've been picking about 2-3 gallons every day for a couple of weeks now and that will continue and even increase for the next 6 weeks. After that, I'll them let them mature on the plants to save for seed next year. 

Very easy to grow. Very productive.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

What a cool plant! Their blossoms are like ornamental flowers.

They seem very different from any of the plant families that I'm familiar with.


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## The Driver. (May 20, 2004)

Meadowlark said:


> Here's some shots from today...
> 
> The blooms start forming pretty quickly after the plant gets up a foot or so and continues until frost or you get tired of harvesting it, usually the latter comes first around here. The blooms look like Hibiscus as you can see.
> 
> ...


How long do you let them mature and what is the process to save for seeds ML?


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The Driver. said:


> How long do you let them mature and what is the process to save for seeds ML?


 Here's what I do:

At the end of the season...or when you have had your fill of okra...pick out some of your best plants, the tallest and most healthy looking, and allow the fruits on those plants to mature. By doing this you pretty much end the production of new fruits on that plant so be sure that's what you want.

Let the fruit fully mature. It will get "woody" looking, very firm and tough. I usually then pick those seed pods after a cool night in the fall...and before they get extensive fall rains.

Let the pods fully dry out and then remove the black seeds. Put 'em in a zip lock bag and store in a cool place until you are ready for the next crop. I have left them in the seed pods before and they do just fine also that way but probably get a better germination rate if removed and kept cool. They reportedly last up to about 4 years remaining fertile.

Very easy process...and never have to buy seeds again.


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## The Driver. (May 20, 2004)

Meadowlark said:


> Here's what I do:
> 
> At the end of the season...or when you have had your fill of okra...pick out some of your best plants, the tallest and most healthy looking, and allow the fruits on those plants to mature. By doing this you pretty much end the production of new fruits on that plant so be sure that's what you want.
> 
> ...


 Appreciate it!


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## Pivo and kolache (Mar 13, 2014)

Dick Hanks said:


> What a cool plant! Their blossoms are like ornamental flowers.
> 
> They seem very different from any of the plant families that I'm familiar with.


They seem to have a lot in common with cotton


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I was out of town last week,and when I got home and went to the garden the next morning,I had okra 8 to 10'' long,1/2 a dozen on every plant,with no blooms and fire ants all over going in the pods right at what I call the crown.That was Sunday morning.I cut everything off that even looked like a pod,watered it,and gave the ants a good dose of liquid seven.I'm back in business again.I picked about a gallon yesterday,and at daylight this morning,the 50' row was solid blooms.I very seldom water okra,but I felt so sorry for it I gave it a drink.Incredible how drought resistant the stuff is.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

Some of it gets tall late in season...Mine is about 8f now..Had some a few years back, that was so tall I measured it 13f..You can cut stalk off to about 2 or 3 feet ..It will take off and send out new shoots and bear at a manageable height


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Heres something you might want to try, I put mine up ready to fry out of the freezer. Cut into frying sized pieces, put into egg-milk wash, then batter with flour, spread on a cpl of cookie sheets so as to freeze seperately. When froze put serving sized portion in vac packer bags and put back in freezer till ready. You will need to do somewhat quickly so pcs don't thaw and stick to each other. It seems to cook quicker when frozen....


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

Pivo, okra is close "kinfolks" with cotton. Years ago, had to destroy okra in October in keeping with the boll weevil (or bollworm) control program in place at that time. And WD, my Mrs does okra similarly-we prefer cornmeal rather than flour batter, but she cuts to frying size, rolls in cornmeal, flash freezes on cookie sheet and bags in gallon zip-lock bags. Later grabs out how much she wants, off to the skillet


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