Last summer I re-discovered just how much I love okra cooked the way Mom did it...not battered, just fried on high heat in a thin film of oil (I used coconut or olive) with salt and pepper until the edges of each slice are almost charred....I can eat my body weight of it after years of almost always eating it raw right off of the plant. As a result I am growing a LOT of the heirloom "Fife Creek" okra this summer as in lush conditions it bears pods that can be tender when 5-6 inches long, and it bears heavily. It is a thirsty hungry crop and south Tampa has been in a perennial drought for years, so I will again grow it in various sizes and styles of Water Wise Container Gardens using succession plantings. The pic is one of the 11 inch long pods I let ripen for seeds, which so far for me and friends have had a very low germination rate for some reason. Last year I also finally began emulating Africans and using tender young leaves as food too....I enjoyed them in salads and stir fries.
No comments:
Post a Comment