All About Okra - Origin, Planting and Cooking with Okra

Author:
Sheila Brown
Updated:
Sep 19, 2016

All About Okra

Okra is one of my favorite vegetables to plant in my garden each year. Not only is it tasty, it is easy to grow and drought tolerant. Okra has a long history and I have included information on its origin, as well as how to plant, harvest and cook with okra.

Description

Okra, (Abelmoschus esculentus), is a vegetable of the mallow family. It is related to cotton, cocoa, and the hibiscus. Okra can grow up to approximately 2 meters in height, although there is a dwarf variety that is somewhat shorter. The flowers of the okra plant have five white to yellow petals with a red or purple spot at the center. Okra “pods”, can grow up to 18 cm long and contain many small white round seeds. The immature seed pods are eaten as a vegetable in various countries and used to thicken soups and stews.

Origin

The origin of okra is somewhat disputed. Most believe that okra was introduced to the southeastern part of North America in the early 18^th century. Thomas Jefferson talked about okra as early as 1781. Okra was common the southern parts of the United States as early as 1806. Okra may have been introduced to southeastern parts of North America as being brought over from Africa during the slave trade days. However, okra has been found growing wild along the banks of the Nile and it is believed that the Egyptians were the first cultivators in the 12^th century B.C.

Varieties

There are three common types of okra:

Annie Oakley – Is a hybrid, compact plant, with extra tender pods.
Dwarf Green Long Pod – This variety has ribbed pods and grows shorter, more compact plants.
Clemson Spineless – This variety has less “spiny hairs” and is my favorite.

Planting

Okra is grown in tropical and warm temperate regions around the world. It is one of the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable you can grow. Okra grows best in warm soil and tolerates hot temperatures. You can plant okra in late spring after you have planted all your other vegetables. Some gardeners soak the seeds prior to planting. This allows the seed to germinate sooner. Sow the seeds approximately 1 inch deep and 12 to 24 inches apart to keep them from crowding. Once the plants begin growing, you can thin them out if necessary. Over crowding can keep your okra from producing to it’s full potential. Okra can tolerate hot, dry weather but needs to be watered as the soil dries out.

Harvesting

You want to cut the okra pods before they fully mature. The older they are, the tougher the pods will be. Let them get to approximately 2-3 inches then cut the pods from the stalk. The stem of the okra tends to be rather tough, so you will want to use some sharp garden shears. Okra grows quickly and will need to be picked, usually every other day. You may want to wear long sleeves and gloves when cutting your okra as the pods have short “hairs” that can be irritating to your skin.

Nutritional Value per 100g (3.5 oz.)


Energy	129 kJ (31 kcal)
Carbohydrates	7.03 g
Sugars	1.20 g
Dietary fiber	3.2 g
Fat	0.10 g
Protein	2.00 g
Calcium	81 mg (8%)

Nutritional Value

Okra contains lots of valuable nutrients, almost half of which is in the form of soluble fiber, which helps lower serum cholesterol. The second half is in the form of insoluble fiber, which helps improve the health of the intestinal tract and lower the risk of some cancers. One-half of a cup of okra contains about 10% of the recommended levels of B6 and folic acid. There are many healthy benefits of okra, try to add some to your recipes!

Two jars of my home-made pickled okra.
Fliiby.com

Scroll to Continue

should-i-watch-sonic-the-hedgehog-3-2024

Cooking with Okra

Okra pods are what is called mucilaginous, referring to the slime that results when cooking okra. It is this mucilage that contains most of the good soluble fiber. To minimize the slime, you can keep the pods whole or slice them and minimizing cooking time, such as a stir-fry. Adding a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice will also help. Most cooks prefer to slice the okra and use it in soups or stews where the mucilage dissolves and acts as a thickener. Many people prefer fried okra. Once you cover the sliced okra with cornmeal, it keeps the “slime” inside and will fry up crispy. You can cook okra with tomatoes, which are slightly acidic and will help reduce the slime as well. One of my family’s favorite snacks, is pickled okra. You prepare it much the same, as you would make pickles. I have published my mother-in-law’s wonderful pickled okra recipe, you will have to check it out. Okra is also an easy vegetable to freeze to use during the fall and winter months.

You May Also Enjoy:

Pickled Okra Recipe - Hot or Not
Pickled okra is one of my family’s favorite snacks! Adding a little jalapeno to this recipe gives it some extra flavor. It’s not hot, just has a little snap. Not only is it tasty, but it is very good for you too. Okra is high in both types of fibers
Quick and Easy Okra Goulash
Here in the south, we tend to like our macaroni and okra, so I have combined these ingredients to make my
5 Best Vegetables to Grow in Your Garden
Fresh vegetables not only taste better but are also much better for you. These are what I consider to be, the 5 best vegetables to plant in your garden to eat healthier and save money on your grocery bill all year round.
Best Vegetables for Canning or Freezing and How To
If you have a vegetable garden, most likely you want to store some of your harvest for use throughout the year. The best way to do that is through canning or freezing them. After 25 years of growing, canning and freezing my vegetables, here is my cho
Tips on How to Grow a Vegetable Garden
Growing a vegetable garden is not as difficult a thing as many people make it out to be. My husband and I have grown a garden every year for the last 25 years. There are three basic things that are needed to grow a successful vegetable garden. Once y

Comments

Randy Godwin from Southern Georgia on January 31, 2013:

Ha, don't think for a minute I hadn't thought about cookin' it tonight, Sheila! The trouble is, I would have to drive about a mile to go get the okra out of our other freezer over at the farm. Still though.........

Sheila Brown (author) from Southern Oklahoma on January 31, 2013:

Hi Randy! Hey, it doesn't take much time to fry up a big pan of okra. You can sit and eat it like popcorn! Why do I think you will be frying up some okra tomorrow? Thanks for stopping in! :)

Randy Godwin from Southern Georgia on January 31, 2013:

Why did I have to see this hub now? Of all the times to be craving something different and I see the feed with you talking about fried okra. Curse you Sheila! lol! Great hub!

--RG

Sheila Brown (author) from Southern Oklahoma on January 31, 2013:

Hello Au fait! I'm glad to hear that you tried some okra in your vegetable soup. Fresh okra would have tasted even better! My favorite way to cook okra is fried. It may not be the healthiest, but it sure is good! I'm glad you enjoyed my hub and thank you for your positive comment, votes and sharing! You know it is always much appreciated! Have a wonderful day! :)

C E Clark from North Texas on January 31, 2013:

I like fried okra. Recently I bought a can of okra and put it in some vegetable soup. I thought the soup came out great. I had never had okra other than fried before that. This is a very informative and useful hub. I hope everyone will read it and learn about okra and then try some if they haven't already. Voted up, useful, and interesting. Will share!

Sheila Brown (author) from Southern Oklahoma on November 21, 2012:

Hello Thelma! I love okra too. My mom used to fry most of the time, although sometimes she would boil it with onions and butter. I don't care for it too much that way, but I love it fried! My hubby and I make pickled okra every year. I have a recipe hub on it, if you haven't already seen it, you might like this. Thank you for stopping in, commenting, voting and more:-) I always enjoy hearing from you!

Thelma Alberts from Germany on November 21, 2012:

My mother had okra plants in our garden before and it was always fun harvesting them fresh before they were cooked. Okra is one of my favorite vegetables. Thanks for reminding me of those years at home. Voted up and more;-)

Sheila Brown (author) from Southern Oklahoma on September 20, 2012:

Hello Audrey! I guess it is a "southern thing". You either love it or you hate it. I just had some pickled okra at a cook out tonight. Yum, yum. Thank you for stopping in and commenting. Have a great day!

Audrey Howitt from California on September 20, 2012:

Oh--I have wondered about okra--this is just a great article about it--thank you!!