This brand new book is a lot of fun, and the photos are stunning. It has more about okra than you knew you “Wanted to Know”. Oil from the seeds, eating the leaves, okra-stem drinking straws, okra seed tempeh, okra marshmallow delights, okra history and geography, medical and industrial uses and so much more. It contains growing tips and recipes, but is not limited to the practical realm.
Chris Smith lives in North Carolina and works with Sow True Seeds in Asheville. He is also a writer, speaker and consultant. He is an immigrant farmer, like me, coming from a climate where okra does not grow. “As a white British guy, I am fully aware that okra is not part of my culture or heritage. I have, however, fallen in love with okra and have tried to approach this book with integrity, and a deep appreciation of people and food.” Fortunately for us all, he persisted beyond his encounter with soggy, slimy, greasy fried okra to discover much better ways to use this versatile vegetable.
Chris has grown 76 varieties of okra, cooked it in many different recipes, and experimented on himself and his family with “beauty” preparations and alcoholic tinctures and beverages. He is growing another 76 different varieties in 2019. The USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) holds 1099 separate accessions from all over the world. India grows the most okra, by far (over 6 million tons in 2014). Nigeria is second with 2 million tons. The US is 21st in line (producing 10,000 tons in 2014). The US also imports 50,000 tons mostly from Mexico and Central America.
In his introduction, Chris says: “Not embracing okra because it’s slimy is like not visiting the Alps because you’re scared of heights.” Okra is often dismissed these days as a vegetable people don’t like, although it used to be a favorite of many. In the 1900s, the Tabasco brand of canned okra sold well.
We need resilient crops in the face of climate change; we need to grow more of our own food, eat locally, organic, and with less or no meat, to survive the uncertainties ahead. Zero food waste has become a goal of some chefs (and no doubt, some home cooks too). The Whole Okra provides help with several steps on this journey.
Early in the book, Chris embraces the S-word (slime), including some great photos of his smiling family with okra slime face masks and okra-slice eye pads, and himself with okra mucilage hair conditioner. Although Chris is only recommending things he’s tried himself, he does mention some untested ideas, like substituting okra juice for mallow juice as a tonic. A (tested) recipe for okra marshmallow delights is included. Adding acidic ingredients (think tomatoes, lemon juice) to a recipe will effectively cut through the sliminess.
If you have grown okra, you will probably be familiar with the sudden glut that arrives at some (hot) point in the summer. Here are instructions for freezing okra, pickling (both by fermenting and with vinegar), drying (best when strung on dental floss). Best of all are the okra chips (season 2 pounds (907 g) of pods with oil, salt, spices, roast at 500F (260C) for 20 mins, then 170F (75C) for 2-3 hours). 4 ounces (113 g) of tasty crunchy chips! Who knew? There’s also info on pressure canning, and okra kimchi, which can be dried, powdered and used as a seasoning.
Okra can be self-pollinating, but produces more seeds per pod when pollinated by insects. There is a specialized native okra bee, Ptilothrix bombiformis. Okra is not native to North America, but rose-mallow and hibiscus are. The flowers are edible cooked, but of course you won’t get an okra pod if you’ve eaten the flower. Unlike squash, okra does not have separate female and male flowers. Flowers can be dried, used in tea blends, or in vodka for tinctures and nightcaps. Only eat flowers if you have an over-abundance of pods or you are about to go away for a long weekend and don’t want to come home to a mass of woody pods. Believe it or not, Chris has uses for woody pods too! These can often be obtained free or cheap in high summer. Don some gloves. Open the pods and shell out the immature seeds, which can be cooked and eaten then, or blanched and frozen for winter. Thoroughly dry the empty pods, then powder them, and sift through a fine mesh. The pod powder can be used as a thickening agent in place of cornstarch.
The young leaves make appetizing summer greens and are higher in protein than the pods. They are used (mixed with yam and other vegetables) by the Igbo people of Nigeria. Choose very young leaves, or fairly young leaves of a variety without spiny leaves. Heavy Hitter is the variety to grow for large supple spineless leaves. A close cousin of okra, abika, is used as an important leafy green in some Pacific Island nations. Seeds can be bought from Monticello, under the name Sunset Hibiscus.
Deep-fried young leaves can make crisp chips, like kale chips, but different. If you are saving okra seed, you will often have more seeds than you need to grow, you can sow those for microgreens. Chris has a small aquaponics system made from a barrel. Goldfish (and tilapia in summer) are in the bottom section of the barrel and the water is pumped to the top section which grows the microgreens.
Mature okra seed has a tough hull and a nutritious kernel which can be ground into flour and used in soups, sauces, gravies, and okra seed tofu and tempeh. Back to woody pods: they can make Christmas tree ornaments, earrings, strings of holiday lights (hint: cool LED bulbs, not fire-prone hot bulbs), and painted ornamental figurines. Crushed pods can be used to grow mushrooms. I’m waiting to find out if Chris suggests using them as mulch, or as firelighters. (My Advance Readers’ Copy doesn’t have an index).
It was known in 1874 and in 1919 that oil can be extracted from okra seeds, but forgotten since. Chris describes hand-cranking his Piteba oil press, for small yields of delicious yellow-green oil. In a comparison of okra oil with that from sunflowers, safflower, soy and sesame [why only the oils that start with S?] the yield of okra oil per hectare is second only to sunflower. The yield pf protein is the highest, beating soy. Clay Oliver makes artisanal small-batch oils, including okra. In a study by Robert Jarret, the oil content varied by variety from 9.19% to 21.56%.
Okra seed flour has high levels of protein and fat, and an impressive range of amino acids. It can be made into bread and other baked goods, mixed with cornmeal. Okra seed was used as a coffee substitute during the civil war. Chris tries everything, and reports that the roasted seeds, when ground, release an appetizing coffee aroma, and look just like coffee, but the beverage tastes nothing like coffee (and has no caffeine). So much for that!
Okra stalk fiber is next – you can make cordage or crochet a hat. Okra is related to jute, kenaf, roselle, kapok and even cotton. Paper is another option. Okra paper is beautiful, strong, and you can make your own paper or twine, following Chris’s instructions. It never caught on commercially, because supply could not meet demand.
Naturally enough, there is a chapter on growing okra. I was amazed to learn that at about 3 weeks of age the 6″ (15 cm) tall plant could have a taproot three times as long! At full maturity, the tap root could be 4½ ft (1.4 m). This suggests okra would be sturdier if direct sown, rather than transplanted, but you work with the climate you’ve got! To avoid stunting the taproot, get the small plants in the ground as soon as you can. But it needs to be warm enough. Bruce Adams at Furman University suggests waiting until the butterflies migrate from the South.
Here’s the info you need to get your seed germinated: Warmth, soaking the seed for 8 hours in water at 88F (31C). Get the book for all the details. There are several false rural myths out there about growing okra. Okra has naturalized in the Red River floodplain in Louisiana, and also near Durham, North Carolina, where it survived some freezing temperatures.
Recommendations on spacing vary a lot: as close as 6″ (15 cm) in rich soil, to 24″ (60 cm) for some of the bigger varieties elsewhere. Wider spacing leads to more branches and more pods per plant, but not necessarily more pods for a given area.
And the important matter of deciding when a pod is mature but not too fibrous receives good attention, and a helpful photo, although Chris does warn that it’s best to develop a feel for the rigidity of tough pods. You can’t tell just by length, even within a variety you know well, as the weather will change the size of a mature pod. Chris recommends snapping the end off a trial pod. A clean snap indicates a good meal ahead. A pod that doesn’t snap or that “splinters” is too woody. Three to nine days after flowering is how long it takes to mature a pod (and 40 days from flowering to mature seed). An experienced grower suggests harvesting 4 days after flowering, regardless of length. In drought it might be 2″ (5 cm) long, in warm rainy weather 6-7″ (15-18 cm) Chris includes a hilarious description comparing reactions of Americans and British family and friends being served tough okra. As a fellow Brit, I laughed aloud. Buy the book, I won’t spoil the suspense!
Store the unwashed pods in a cool damp place after removing the field heat.. I was intrigued at the description of Zero Energy Cool Chambers (ZECC) in India, but wonder which part of India, and if this would work in a humid climate.
The back of the book includes a summary of Chris’s 2018 variety trial and includes descriptions his observations, including pod spininess, branching and productivity.
And to end this review, no, Chris did not mention what great kindling dried okra pods make, nor what great long-lasting, weed-free mulch they provide. (I recognize you need to grow a lot of okra seed to produce enough mulch to write about!) Thanks Chris! An entertaining read, and lots of practical information, and inspiring photos!
If you dig “nose-to-tail” veggie eating, this vegetable is for you: the leaves, flowers and seeds are also edible. Young okra greens can be cooked like spinach or beet greens (or eaten raw) and the seeds can even be ground and used as a coffee substitute.
Okra leaves are also used to balance digestion and internal health. In traditional Chinese medicine, Okra is believed to have cooling properties and helps add water back into the digestive tract which will help fight inflammation and promote good bacteria.
OR, boil greens in a 1/2 cup water, covered, for 20 minutes until soft. While greens are boiling, saute onions, garlic and peppers (and sliced okra pods if using them), then add the boiled greens to the onion pan, and stir in well, then serve.
Okra is a multipurpose crop valued for its tender and delicious pods. In West Africa, leaves, buds, and flowers of okra are also consumed. The dried seeds provide oil, protein, vegetable curd, and a coffee additive or substitute.
Arthropod pests of okra include caterpillars (larvae of Lepidoptera), aphids, thrips, whiteflies, and mites. Leaf-feeding caterpillar pests (lepidopteran larvae) that attack okra include beet, southern, and fall armyworm, cab bage looper, and corn earworm. Cabbage looper and corn earworm can also bore into pods.
“o*kra is a hardy plant that can grow even with less water and in hot conditions. '' Erukainure said that okra has a unique substance called “GOSSYPOL”. “Gossypol inhibits sperm production and motility by blocking several enzymes that are highly important in energy metabolism in sperm and sperm producing cells.
Okra water is generally considered safe. However, it may cause adverse reactions in people who are allergic to okra. Okra is also high in fructans, a carb that may cause digestive issues in some people when consumed in large amounts ( 15 ).
“It hasn't been scientifically proven. Okra does not affect a woman's reproductive health. I would advise women to disregard the claim. There are fertility drugs doctors prescribe which stimulates a woman to get pregnant,” Mairiga said.
Roasting okra with olive oil and garlic is one of the best ways to prepare this tasty vegetable. High-heat baking enhances the okra's taste, makes it wonderfully creamy, and removes the slimy texture typical of this vegetable.
Certain individuals experience intense itching of fingers, hands and forearms when harvesting or processing okra. Skin exposed to pods, stems or leaves turns red and develops an itch. Most individuals feel no effects, but those with sensitive skin should wear gloves or protective clothing.
Although potential earnings from growing the varieties vary by variety, growing okra can increase the revenue of farmers steadily over a long period of time. This is due to the fact that okra can be harvested daily or every other day over a period of 2-3 months.
Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani.
Okra crop is attacked by variety of insect pests and commercial okra production relies heavily on the pesticides belonging to organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate, pyrethroid and neo-nicotinoid groups for pest control. Moreover, growers do not observe safety interval for okra harvest.
Most pesticides are complex organic molecules and these tend not to be very heat stable. But reliably breaking down all pesticide molecules would likely require prolonged exposure to temperatures well over 100ºC, so you can't rely on ordinary cooking to remove all traces.
It grows very quickly and is ready to terminate before you plant your next grazing crop in the fall. Oh, and I forgot to mention, cattle will also graze the okra leaves and pods. Both are really high in protein. Think about planting this really versatile summer cover crop in your rotation next year.
Should you trim okra leaves? Once okra leaves aren't able to produce food for the plant, the plant starts to get rid of them. The leaves start to take up more energy than they produce so yes, cut off any little dying leaves near the bottom of the plant as well as any leaves that are looking weak or starting to shrivel.
Ants won't damage the okra plants but may pose difficult while harvesting pods. So to control ants you can use co*k ash spreading around the field or plants.
Eating too much okra can adversely affect some people. Gastrointestinal problems: Okra contains fructans, which is a type of carbohydrate. Fructans can cause diarrhea, gas, cramping, and bloating in people with existing bowel problems. Kidney stones: Okra is high in oxalates.
You produce sperm every day, but a full sperm regeneration cycle (spermatogenesis) takes about 64 days. Spermatogenesis is the complete cycle of sperm production and maturation.
Low sperm count symptoms might include: Problems with sexual function — for example, low sex drive or difficulty maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) Pain, swelling or a lump in the testicl* area. Decreased facial or body hair or other signs of a chromosome or hormone abnormality.
Okra consumption alone did not promote changes in inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in the kidney. In conclusion, ET combined or not with O seems to be beneficial in preventing the progression of renal disease when renal function is not yet altered.
Liver health also gets a boost from okra. Again, antioxidants in okra are the major force because they help the body get rid of toxins that are harmful to the liver. Moreover, antioxidants act as powerful anti-inflammatory agents that combat liver inflammation, thereby tremendously enhancing general liver function.
Okra is low in calories but packed full of nutrients. The vitamin C in okra helps support healthy immune function. Okra is also rich in vitamin K, which helps your body clot blood. Antioxidants are natural compounds that help your body fight off molecules called free radicals that can damage cells.
Okra's abundance in macro and micro nutrients, iron, and folic acid in particular, protects against excessive menstrual bleeding in women; replenishes blood deficiencies caused by heavy bleeding or malnutrition; and prevents anemia in women in their reproductive years.
Fall: Include okra in soup displays as it adds a distinct flavor to soups and stews. Include okra in canning promotions. Winter: Promote fried okra as a hearty side dish for wintertime meals. Spring: Okra shines during Mardi Gras, so be sure to have it on hand as it is a main ingredient in gumbo.
Okra's insoluble fiber helps keep your digestive system in great shape and lubricates the large intestine. The fiber in okra also feeds the good bacteria in your gut, which promotes a healthy intestinal tract. That ultimately leads to less cramping, bloating and other unpleasant stomach problems.
The benefits of okra water stem from its rich nutritional profile that includes magnesium, calcium, and vitamins C and B complex. It is helpful for controlling blood sugar, boosting immunity, and promoting heart health. It is also a good source of antioxidants and natural antibacterial compounds.
Potassium also helps relax blood vessels and arteries, which then reduces blood pressure and eases up the strain on our cardiovascular system. So, if you must gorge on lechon and crispy pata, make sure to balance it with okra and other high-potassium foods.
A close association between intradermal reactions to okra extracts and complaints of work-related allergic symptoms was seen in these subjects. These results confirm that the okra may be capable of inducing IgE-mediated immediate-type allergy to workers handling okra.
Bhendi yellow vein mosaic virus (BYVMV) or okra yellow vein mosaic (OYVMV) is a viral disease caused by monopartite Begomovirus affecting okra plants. It was first found in 1924 in Bombay, India, and Sri Lanka. It is the major limitation of the production of okra.
Environment. Destruction: low, okra production is relatively sustainable, there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as pesticides have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc.
Based on a comparison of 44 countries in 2019, India ranked the highest in okra production with 6,176,000 tonnes followed by Nigeria and Mali. On the other end of the scale was Djibouti with 30.0 tonnes, Belize with 32.0 tonnes and Bahrain with 56.0 tonnes. ... Which Country Produces the Most Okra?
The major problems identified by the okra farmers were difficulty getting funds, bad access roads to farms, difficulty in controlling weeds and pests and diseases.
If you dig “nose-to-tail” veggie eating, this vegetable is for you: the leaves, flowers and seeds are also edible. Young okra greens can be cooked like spinach or beet greens (or eaten raw) and the seeds can even be ground and used as a coffee substitute.
Okra leaves are best suited for cooked applications such as sautéing, stir-frying, and boiling as the heat softens the leaves and helps reduce their spiny texture. They can be consumed raw and used instead of spinach or beet greens in salads, or cooked and used in soups, stews, gumbos, and curries.
Okra leaves are rich in fiber and also contain vitamins A and C, calcium, protein, and iron. Harvest okra leaves from late summer through the fall and use immediately or store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Should you trim okra leaves? Once okra leaves aren't able to produce food for the plant, the plant starts to get rid of them. The leaves start to take up more energy than they produce so yes, cut off any little dying leaves near the bottom of the plant as well as any leaves that are looking weak or starting to shrivel.
The entire okra plant is edible. The leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like any other greens. Okra pods can even be eaten raw. The less cooked okra is, the better it is for you.
A close association between intradermal reactions to okra extracts and complaints of work-related allergic symptoms was seen in these subjects. These results confirm that the okra may be capable of inducing IgE-mediated immediate-type allergy to workers handling okra.
Uses: As food - The leaves, flower buds and flowers can be cooked and eaten. Leaves are also eaten raw in salads or dried, ground into powder and used as a flavouring.
Okra is very susceptible to nematodes, and nematode populations may boom at the end of the season. Avoid growing squash, sweet potatoes, or solanaceous crops (like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant) after okra (and vice versa), as they may be plagued by nematodes from the previous year.
The theory behind beating the okra plants is you are stressing the plants in order to get more production in the vegetable garden. Travis has tried the pruning or whooping method before in the garden and says it does make the garden easier to harvest and get better production of okra pods.
Despite its nutritional and medicinal values, okra is associated with sterility in humans especially men due to the presence of gossypol in the seed. Recently, some studies claimed that excess consumption of okra may have injurious effects on sperm parameters, testes weight, and testicular tissues.
People with diabetes should be careful when considering adding more okra into their diets. Although okra may be able to help people better control their blood sugar, it can also interfere with metformin, a medication often used to treat Type 2 diabetes.
Summary. Okra is an unusual vegetable with mucilaginous properties. It has been found to soothe the digestive tract, improve detoxification, blood sugar balance, and cholesterol balance.
Environment. Destruction: low, okra production is relatively sustainable, there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as pesticides have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc.
Excessive consumption of Lady finger may lead to the formation of kidney and gallbladder stones due to the presence of oxalates. Thus, it is advisable to avoid the use of Lady finger in people already having kidney problems[1][20].
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration
