I can't believe the Okra topic has died.

[steve dunham]

My wife and I grew a large garden up until recently. We ate,froze or canned everything we grew . We butchered chickens in the fall
and made homemade sausage .We still make large batches of soup ,spaghetti sauce ,chili and stew which we freeze for future meals. My wife bakes bread about every other day . Our 4 daughters were raised around home cooking . Unfortunately the skills were not passed on. My daughters want nothing to do with cooking ,canning ,making sausage , growing a garden or anything you can't buy in the store. They in their own words have been "LIBERATED" . I still don't understand what is liberating about boxed Mac & cheese ,frozen pizzas or canned soup. The funny part is they love to watch cooking shows on PBS .

[War Eagle]

First time my wife tried raising okra in our garden, there was lots of vegetative growth but few pods. Our old-time gardener neighbor took one look at the plants and said they needed "whipped". Say what? He picked up a small branch that had fallen from a nearby oak tree and used the stick to whip (break) off a bunch of the leaves from each plant. Walla! They started setting on more pods! And if you want a garden that keeps on giving, try raising sweet potatoes. Once they take hold, good luck stopping them from growing in your garden! If they were a weed, they would be classified as "invasive"! Yummy, but they can become too much of a good thing....

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by JenPB

In our family, it's tradition to Boo at the best of the puns.

You get a BIG BOOOOOOOOO HISSSS!

Hi: JenPB... This year we brought a couple jars of pickled Okrahoma from Gulf Shores Ala. Dilled and mildly spiced... Some like it HOT!!! YUMMM. http://www.talkoftexas.com
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie:

[Rick]

Does anyone actually eat OKRA?

[Tom Trostel]

We are Texans. Mom's family traces its roots to the Battle of San Jacinto. We all love okra. Five of the six granddaughters love fried okra, and I'm still working on the 4 year old. I can't imagine southern cuisine without okra. Is it still gumbo without okra? Yes, there are millions of us who eat okra!

[theresa p]

I tried fried okra for the first time this winter while in Florida. Love it!!!!

[Johnny M]

I grow Okra down here in Georgia and love it, southern fried with a flour & corn meal batter, in my homemade bbq brunswick stew, in soup, even pickled Okra!

[Jim G. - Ohio]

I grew up in central Florida, and Mom would sometimes make "cooked" Okra. Slimy, nasty, awful (you get the idea). I have heard fried it's good, but the bad memory lingers in my mind. Jim G.

[War Eagle]

Everything in moderation! Okra has a signature flavor that truly enhances some dishes, but it also has a characteristic "slime" factor that, if overdone, can certainly detract from the "mouth feel" of the dish. From my experience, most people who say they don't like okra have either never tried it and are basing their judgement off of an erroneous reputation, or they have had an unfortunate overdone "slime" experience that overshadowed the enjoyable flavor. To those who turn up their nose at okra, I say, "Wonderful! More for me!". Dale

[Darral T.]

I LOVE okra fried, boiled (slimy), pickled.... I have even raised my own!!

But come on folks. You just cant be a good ole plate of fresh fried Okra with a chicken-fried dinner complete with mashed (creamed) potatoes, cornbread, macaroni/cheese, deviled (dressed) eggs, good ole fresh purple hull peas, Kentucky Wonder pole green beans....wow... THAT my friends is suthun cooking at it's best-- oh especially when topped off with a good ole glass of SWEET tea!

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

I LOVE okra fried, boiled (slimy), pickled.... I have even raised my own!!

But come on folks. You just cant be a good ole plate of fresh fried Okra with a chicken-fried dinner complete with mashed (creamed) potatoes, cornbread, macaroni/cheese, deviled (dressed) eggs, good ole fresh purple hull peas, Kentucky Wonder pole green beans....wow... THAT my friends is suthun cooking at it's best-- oh especially when topped off with a good ole glass of SWEET tea!

Don't forget the sweet potato casserole with caramelized brown sugar topping! It's usually served as a vegetable dish, but I save it for dessert! YUM!!

[Donna D.]

I love pickled okra and buy this brand often. It's a great garnish in a Bloody Mary in place of a dilly bean, carrots or celery!

[Mary F]

I'm with ya, Donna. Except I go for the MILD version.

And Rick, when are you going to break down and buy that Escape? (I'll believe it when I see it. Ha!)

[Darral T.]

Yep and the wife usually tops it with the mini Marshmellows!

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Don't forget the sweet potato casserole with caramelized brown sugar topping! It's usually served as a vegetable dish, but I save it for dessert! YUM!!

[War Eagle]

I hope everyone had a great okra growing season this year! If you missed the annual Okra Festival in Burkville, Alabama, this Fall, you - well, uhhh - you missed a bunch of okra!

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Jim G, my usual response to anyone who hates a certain food is "you just haven't had it properly cooked", not speaking of how the world considers it proper, just you and your tastebuds and gag reflex. Despised slimy okra till we got to Captain D's and found fried - Wonderful. Also Marjorie Kinan Rawlings had a recipe for small new okra-leave cap on, steam exactly 5 minutes, serve with Hollandais, finger food. Haven't tried it yet, maybe someday.
Canned spinach actually made me throw up the one time the cafetaeria lunch lady tried to make me eat it in elementary school. My ex insisted on getting fresh spinach and fixing it as per an Italian down-home cookery book. I discovered that sautéed with real butter, chopped onions and garlic, spinach is to die for...
My daughter HATES lima beans, everyone else in the family loves them. I didn't tell her what was in in fried beanballs I served her vegetarian daughter, but DD said it was all right. It was mashed canned limas, kidneys, and chickpeas mashed with egg and rolled in Italian seasoned breadcrummbs before frying in real butter.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

And as for "healthy" eating, the "epidemic" of obesity metabolic disorder and diabetes concided with and worsened along with the changes in diet by the nutritionists- as far as I am considered one caused the other.

[War Eagle]

Given recent predictions for food trends in 2017, maybe "Purple Okra" could be the hot new health food! Now plant breeders just need to figure out how to make purple okra.

[Owen Lindsay]

Okay everyone, With this topic resurected I feel right at home!!!

[War Eagle]

Easter Sunday is only two weeks away! If you haven't started your okra seeds yet, at least here in the South, you're running behind! Get some seeds and soil and get going!!