Comments on: Okra? https://habitablezone.com/2014/07/03/okra/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:38:00 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2014/07/03/okra/#comment-31283 bowser Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:04:51 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=46101#comment-31283 Yes, there are high-maintenance foods, things that aren't good without a lot of work. Taro comes to mind, I think that's the stuff that's poisonous until processed, yet more primitive people manage to do it. Well, I'm off to wangle an invitation to a friend's place on Hoods Canal. All the oysters one wants for the picking up, and butter clams, too. I love them both. Pretty low maintenance foods. Yes, there are high-maintenance foods, things that aren’t good without a lot of work. Taro comes to mind, I think that’s the stuff that’s poisonous until processed, yet more primitive people manage to do it.

Well, I’m off to wangle an invitation to a friend’s place on Hoods Canal. All the oysters one wants for the picking up, and butter clams, too. I love them both. Pretty low maintenance foods.

]]> By: DanS https://habitablezone.com/2014/07/03/okra/#comment-31246 DanS Mon, 07 Jul 2014 14:39:34 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=46101#comment-31246 It's a very high maintenance food. I prefer something I can eat straight out of the freezer without the need to pull out the required accoutrements, such as breading, a deep-fryer, or needing to stew it up. If it can't stand on its own, it just comes across as undesirable. Yes, I like it, but it requires a bit of work. example: I love fried & salted green plantain and fried and cinnamon-sprinkled yellow plantain, but only have it about once a year. It's a bit of work for a simple side dish. It’s a very high maintenance food. I prefer something I can eat straight out of the freezer without the need to pull out the required accoutrements, such as breading, a deep-fryer, or needing to stew it up. If it can’t stand on its own, it just comes across as undesirable.

Yes, I like it, but it requires a bit of work.

example:
I love fried & salted green plantain and fried and cinnamon-sprinkled yellow plantain, but only have it about once a year. It’s a bit of work for a simple side dish.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2014/07/03/okra/#comment-31225 bowser Sat, 05 Jul 2014 22:43:22 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=46101#comment-31225 Looks to be palatable, nourishing and available and has therefore worked it's way into the local diet. 'Preciate it. (I was in Gainsville, Florida, for a couple of weeks years ago. One could live there as a native with just "'Preciate it." and "How 'bout them Gators?" for your entire vocabulary.) Looks to be palatable, nourishing and available and has therefore worked it’s way into the local diet.

‘Preciate it.

(I was in Gainsville, Florida, for a couple of weeks years ago. One could live there as a native with just “‘Preciate it.” and “How ’bout them Gators?” for your entire vocabulary.)

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2014/07/03/okra/#comment-31215 FrankC Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:32:27 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=46101#comment-31215 It is native to Africa and came here by way of the slave trade in the 18th century. I am not a big fan of okra but I do enjoy breaded and fried okra occasionally. Fried okra is probably the most popular way to prepare it in the deep south. Other ways usually involve it as an added ingredient in stews and gumbos. It adds a unique flavor to many southern dishes. Boiled okra is a dish only for hard down okra lovers. I find it slimy and unappetizing. There is an old southern joke about everyone crossing their legs at the dinner table when Ma served boiled okra, else it would slide right through. The blandness you spoke of is covered by seasoning with hog fat and pepper sauces. I found out recently that okra is good for diabetes control. You soak a pod of okra with the ends cut off in a glass of water overnight. In the morning remove the okra pod and drink the water. The taste is not bad at all. I tried it and it made me a believer, but preparing the okra water every night is a huge pain in the ass and it is hard to keep fresh okra on hand. It will spoil after 4-5 days and you wind up throwing a lot of it in the disposal. I gave up on it after about a week. It is native to Africa and came here by way of the slave trade in the 18th century.

I am not a big fan of okra but I do enjoy breaded and fried okra occasionally. Fried okra is probably the most popular way to prepare it in the deep south. Other ways usually involve it as an added ingredient in stews and gumbos. It adds a unique flavor to many southern dishes.

Boiled okra is a dish only for hard down okra lovers. I find it slimy and unappetizing. There is an old southern joke about everyone crossing their legs at the dinner table when Ma served boiled okra, else it would slide right through. The blandness you spoke of is covered by seasoning with hog fat and pepper sauces.

I found out recently that okra is good for diabetes control. You soak a pod of okra with the ends cut off in a glass of water overnight. In the morning remove the okra pod and drink the water. The taste is not bad at all. I tried it and it made me a believer, but preparing the okra water every night is a huge pain in the ass and it is hard to keep fresh okra on hand. It will spoil after 4-5 days and you wind up throwing a lot of it in the disposal. I gave up on it after about a week.

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