Boiled Okra

Okra pods begin as a flower. Once pollinated, the petals fall off, leaving a small bud which then grows longer each day.

If left on the plant too long, the pod will become fibrous, or "hard" as we say. It's not edible at this stage. So it must be harvested before.

Most farmers want to get the most weight possible out of these okra pods, so they wait to harvest them until right before they get hard and inedible.

But we like to harvest okra at a much younger stage, around 3-4 inches. These young, tender pods are known as boiling okra, and they are a real treat!

Recipe:

  • 1 pint of boiling okra
  • 1 or 2 thin slices of raw onion
  • Olive oil
  • Vinegar (any kind)
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
  2. Drop in the pint of boiling okra.
  3. Boil for five minutes, no more! If the pods start to pop open, you've gone too long.
  4. Drain into colander. Plate the okra.
  5. Add raw onion to each plate of okra.
  6. Drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle on vinegar, shake on salt, and grind on black pepper.
  7. Serve immediately! Vinegar will discolor okra after a few minutes.