{"id":4566,"date":"2021-09-27T15:27:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T20:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=4566"},"modified":"2021-09-27T15:27:56","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T20:27:56","slug":"why-isnt-okra-a-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/why-isnt-okra-a-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Isn\u2019t Okra a Star?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why isn\u2019t okra a star ingredient? I mean, it\u2019s even shaped\nlike a star. What gives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This summer, I planted okra in my garden. It\u2019s still going\nstrong. The plants haven\u2019t required much other than an occasional watering to\nbecome taller than I and they are prolific producers. One acre yields 4 to 6\ntons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of that, I rarely see okra at the farmers market\nand it\u2019s not often available at the supermarket. This left me curious what\ndrives the minimal availability and whether accessibility limits its inclusion\nin recipes. I started clicking around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okra is grown commercially<\/a> for both the fresh and frozen food markets. Some varieties have round pods. Those preferred for the fresh market have star-shaped pods. That\u2019s what I grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since pods for the fresh market require harvesting with a knife, picking can be time-consuming. And the window for perfect-sized pods is narrow. No need to click around to discover that. I\u2019ve learned the lesson in person many times over. Picking a single acre of okra takes between 10 and 20 <\/a>man-hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Machine harvestin<\/a>g has been attempted with varying degrees of success. Given its labor-intensive nature, okra may never be available on the scale of potatoes, corn, or spinach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But does that mean okra shouldn\u2019t star in more dishes than\ngumbo, succotash, okra & tomatoes, and fried or pickled okra? Many of you\nmay be imagining its slimy texture and thinking, nah, that\u2019s plenty of dishes\u2013\nmaybe more than enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true okra can be slimy. Pairing it with citrus or\nadding vinegar will reduce this. You can also cook at high heat to minimize\nsliminess. For example: saut\u00e9ing, grill charring, or breading and frying\nresult in delicious flavor and texture sans slime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sometimes slice a few pods and throw them in with fresh green\nbeans I\u2019m saut\u00e9ing. The other day, I added some saut\u00e9ed slices to pasta. It\ntook the dish from a solid, everyday flavor into the slightly exotic category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love using large pods, lemon juice, lemongrass, chicken stock, water,\nand seasoning to create a broth for cooking fish and rice. It creates a\npleasing base that can be taken to another level with the addition of saffron\nor topped with fresh pico de gallo for an extra pop of flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okra will grow in zones 2 – 11 but it\u2019s traditionally considered a southern food. That association may contribute to it being a role player rather than a star ingredient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while many people may hear the word slime and assume\nthey won\u2019t like it, anyone who has had fried okra done right will fight you for\nit at the store. It was always the star of my grandmother\u2019s summer table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, it will be the star of mine. I have some sliced and breaded and waiting in the refrigerator. Once I pull out a cast iron skillet and heat some oil, I\u2019ll be minutes away from a mix of soft and crunchy texture that tastes like nothing else! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I even have vine-ripened tomatoes from the garden to go with. It doesn\u2019t get any better than that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lessons from the Garden<\/a><\/blockquote>