August is Okra Season!
Okra plants love the heat. That’s good, because this summer we have had nearly 50 days with temperatures of 100 degrees or more.
My experience has been that people either love okra, or hate it. Since I grew up in Illinois, I had never experienced it until I moved here. I have successfully avoided eating boiled okra. All it took was hearing the word “slimy” associated with it by more people than I can count for me to conclude I had no interest. There are tons of ways to fix okra that are really delicious and NON-slimy, so it makes it worth growing (or buying).
Try some of our favorite okra recipes and see for yourself!
Kate and I went out into the garden to scrounge around and see what we could pick. I’ve discovered that okra is a sneaky thing. One minute it’s not there. The next minute it’s a spear 6 inches long, which isn’t entirely desirable. Pieces of okra tend to get woody and fibrous when they get too big. My grandpa used to say he married my grandma when she was “young and tender.” You want your okra the same way. Kate’s angry this one escaped detection until it got too big.
Going out into the vegetable garden is like going on a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find!
Ah, these are nice. Not too big, not too small.
Okra-Baby, come to mama!
We’re ready to cook!
Okra on the grill with a little olive oil and either lemon pepper or kosher salt and pepper can’t be beat.
Yes, it comes in varieties. I’ve mixed the red and green here.
The picture above shows Star of David Okra. I’ve sliced it so you can see where it got its name.
Leave a Reply