Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Oh, Oh, Okra!


That cute Brit Ida is someone I only know from the comments she leaves on other blogs that I read.  One of her latest was to ask Sanda from Halycon Days about Okra.  It never occurred to me how difficult it would be to describe Okra to the uninitiated.  From my first bite, Okra has been my favorite vegetable.  And it doesn't always taste the same - it can be crisply pickled, crunchy breaded and deep-fried, slimy boiled, or caramelized by pan frying in olive oil.  It is a necessity for Gumbo, but I can't think of any other dish that absolutely requires it.  My point, and I do have one, is that I have actually grown my own Okra this Summer!  And it was amazing!
When my kids were little there was a very popular Seattle Music group.  They did a very popular stage show with elaborate costumes.  The first time I saw them on stage, they did their Vegetable Song, which involved asking audience member what their favorite vegetable was.  For some strange reason (perhaps the curly hair?), they picked me to ask.  I, of course, answered "Okra" and was rewarded with a look of such astonishment and dismay as I have ever seen.  Well, it turns out the the whole 20 minute bit was based on no one saying "Okra".  The singer was supposed to say "Okra", and proceed to introduce this unknown and therefore disliked, vegetable with costumes and dance.  Sorry Tickle Toon Guys.
Posted by at

6 comments:

  1. PatriciaJuly 4, 2012 at 11:46 PM

    Well done, Beryl, that is a very healthy looking Okra bush. Haven't found okra in Australia, but did try it last time we stayed with friends in Texas. Deep fried version, as I recall, and I happily ate it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. sandaJuly 5, 2012 at 6:30 AM

    A picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks for this more detailed explanation Okra is an odd vegetable to some,but oh so good. I suppose it doesn't hold up well to long distance shipment or perhaps one has to grow up eating it to fully appreciate the taste and texture. Kinda like eating catfish. Your okra plants look great, I have never planted it myself

    ReplyDelete
  3. BerylJuly 5, 2012 at 8:17 AM

    Hi Patricia - Thanks! I am very proud of my Okra bushes. Texas is a great place to try Okra. They really do it well there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BerylJuly 5, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    Hi Sanda - What a nice compliment coming from a great gardener like you! Okra must be the easiest plant to grow in this climate, because I did nothing other than to start the seeds inside and then transplant outside in full sun. Funny you should mention Catfish - that was another of those thinks that I liked immediately as a child.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJuly 5, 2012 at 6:53 PM

    It's funny how you beat them to the punch line. We make a lot of gumbos at our house and although we do not grow our own, often farmers will just GIVE it to us at our local farmers market.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BerylJuly 5, 2012 at 8:26 PM

    I was told that for the month and a half we were gone, our little garden plot at the community center produced lots of okra. It was donated, much preferable to having it go to waste.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)