Why do Southerners grow okra?

Because we can.

It grows in drought.  It grows when the rain won’t quit.  It keeps growing and producing until frost finally kills it.  And you get new okra every day.

Flower, developing pods and ready to eat, all at once together.
Flower, developing pods and ready to eat, all at once together.
From a distance
The bed on the right has okra trees taller than my head. And they just keep going.

Chuck planted 14 seeds and got 14 plants.  We are about to quit trying to eat it all and start freezing it.  (We bought a chest freezer to be delivered next Saturday because the one in the kitchen can’t keep up.)

The consensus here is that anyone who thinks they don’t have a green thumb should try growing okra.  It will make you feel like Mr. Greenjeans.

2 responses to “Why do Southerners grow okra?”

  1. The Belmont Rooster Avatar
    The Belmont Rooster

    I grew a lot of okra in Mississippi and gave 95% of it away. Now, in Missouri, I didn’t plant near as many. I am the only one that eats it, so I have had to put some in the freezer. I need to find more people who like it here, because I like growing it. Makes an AWESOME plant! GREAT POST!

    Reply
  2. Kitty Cunningham Avatar
    Kitty Cunningham

    We find that okra doesn’t get slimy if you don’t cook it with water. (We had this discussion last week.) If Chuck sautes it with a little olive oil or roasts it, no slime. And that seems to be the thing most people find objectionable.

    We don’t batter-and-fry stuff because it is more mess to clean up than either one of us cares to deal with.

    On the other hand, it is a good thickener for soup, because the slime gets diluted.

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