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Bio-Intensive Gardening Okra by Byron Tumlinson |
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Bio-Intensive Gardening Okra by Byron Tumlinson |
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NOTE: One of the last messages I had from Byron was about Okra. He'd been told that okra didn't need a lot of watering and at some point had said so though I cannot find it. He stated that indeed they do need a lot of water, especially in the long times of summer when there is little to no rain. He lives in an area where the ground water is near the surface and many things do not need watering. I had found that a lot of the new varieties are designed for northern regions and cooler weather. THEY WILL NOT GROW IN THE HEAT OF THE SOUTH. The packet will not tell you where they do best so order your seeds from a reputable company and read what their catalog has to say about the variety. (Nita) |
| Just the other day we
had some friends from Wisconsin visit us here in South Texas. Caroline
fixed some okra and tomatoes for our dinner. When they tasted it, they
were delighted with the taste. We got to talking about okra and they
told us that they had tried to raise okra one year, but could not figure
out what to do with it. My father in law asked them if they had ever
seen the movie Forrest Gump? Then he went on to tell them that okra was
like the shrimp that "Bubba" was always talking about in the
movie. So many people do not take full advantage of the wonderful
vegetable that okra really is. Even fewer know how to raise it and what
is the optimum time to harvest it.
I can't think of an easier vegetable to raise than okra. It is a lot like zucchini in that you can get a lot off of just a few stalks. I like to plant my okra when the weather has warmed up enough to germinate the seeds readily. Prior to planting, I like to soak the seeds for 20 minutes to one hour in bleach. (Byron says that the 20 minutes should be enough.) This softens the tough shell around the seed and gives a better rate of germination. You can also soak them overnight in warm water. I prepare the beds just like for other crops, lots of compost and work the soil deeply. Okra is a heavy feeder and needs a lot of compost. After the plants are up and have developed four or five leaves, I thin them to about 3 feet apart. That may seem like a long way between plants, but they will fill in the gap when they are fully grown. In our long growing season here, some okra will grow to be well over six feet tall. It also will branch out from the bottom of the stalk and produce pods on every branch. This is one plant that can stand dry periods as well as wet periods. It loves water, but not to much water. Water it deeply one time per week and it should do great. I do not find it necessary to add any type of fertilizer or compost after the plants are up. Okra thrives in the organic garden. If you want to save seeds, pick out the best stalk and allow the best looking pods to mature. Leave them on the stalk until they are completely dry. Cut off the dry pods and place them in the refrigerator. It is not necessary to shell the seeds out of the pod until you want to plant them the next year. My favorite types of okra are Longhorn, and James Hopper. Harvesting okra almost every day is a must if you want to keep the stalks growing and producing. In cooler climates you may get by with harvesting it every other day or even every third day. The pods should be cut when they are small and tender. I like them when they are three to four inches long. They must be tender to be good for cooking. If you cut into the cap end of the pod and it resist the knife blade, just feed that pod to the chickens. Okra will store very well in a freezer for up to one year. We cut the pods in rings about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick, roll it in corn meal until the slime is not noticeable and then spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer for about one hour. After that you can place it in a freezer bag and keep it in the freezer. It will not freeze together and you can open the bag and take out the amount you want and put the rest back in the freezer. Okra done this way can be used to fry, or make okra and tomatoes, okra gumbo and many other dishes. If you like the small pods boiled, you can blanch the okra in boiling water for about 2 minutes and them drain well and freeze. One word of warning, never stir okra pods while they are boiling. This releases the slime. Also you can add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the boiling water just before putting in the pods and that will stop them from getting slimy. If you would like to learn all there is to know about okra, go to http://www.southernfood.about.com. They have more ways to fix okra than "Bubba" did shrimp. Happy gardening Byron Tumlinson T-N-T Farm
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