AgriCulture bloggers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer are the owners of Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY. This week, Peter writes: One of our best kept secrets is that our farm, Turkana Farms, won first prize, a beautiful blue ribbon with gold letters reading “First Premium,” for our okra entry at the Columbia County Fair a few years ago. The ribbon is proudly displayed on the wall of the farm office. An even better kept secret (until now): we were the only farm that entered okra in the competition. So we must admit that our pride in our blue ribbon has been severely compromised. One thing the experience taught us is that not many people in this region are familiar with okra. The public’s reaction to our plate of artistically arranged okra in Columbia County’s New Faces of Agriculture booth was, “What is that?” This response corroborated what we had learned a number of years ago when we tried selling our vegetables at the Saturday Hudson Farmer’s Market. When our okra began producing, we were certain that, with the large African American population in Hudson, we would have to meet a big demand. But this was not to be since, apparently, after living up here for generations and buying their food at the standard supermarkets, Hudson’s African Americans no longer remember or value this signature food of the South. Only Hudson’s small Bengali community recognized our okra and purchased it.
It was not until my early twenties that I was introduced to okra. And this was by my then mother-in-law-to-be, May Johnson. Although she was born and spent her early childhood in Scotland, she had absorbed a Southern-oriented cuisine growing up in Terre Haute, Indiana. She sliced the okra pods crosswise into thin disks and sauteed them in oil with a little chopped onion until the okra was crisp and nutty in flavor. I liked it. It was a fortuitous introduction as, within a few years, I found myself living in Turkey, where okra, known as “bamya,” occupies an important niche in its cuisine. And I received yet another infusion of enthusiasm for okra when I subsequently moved to New Orleans, the land of gumbo. As a result of all of these wonderful introductions, okra has become a favorite in my summer diet.
.jpg)
Wikepedia tells us that okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench) is a flowering plant in the mallow family. There is some controversy about this, but it is also believed to be related to such species as cotton, cacao, and hibiscus. Its leaf structure vaguely resembles that of marijuana, apparently getting at least one grower in trouble with the law. However, Mark, who knows more about these things than I , doesn’t think the two leaves would be easy to confuse. In our region, we are lucky to get okra to grow knee high but in much hotter Texas it apparently can grow to 8 or 10 feet. Okra is also known in English-speaking countries as lady’s fingers or gumbo.”Lady’s fingers” must have been a euphemism, as it is my opinion that a more phallic term would be more appropriate. In India, its Hindi name is “bhindi or “bhendi”, terms you have undoubtedly seen on Indian restaurant menus.
Okra is cultivated for its edible, green seed pods, which are picked at an immature stage. If not picked soon enough, they become woody and inedible, usable only in powdered form as a thickener in Creole cooking. Its hibiscus-like yellow or white flower with bright red centers is a strangely delicate flower for such an otherwise coarse-looking plant. The flowering plant, however, is considered so decorative that it is sometimes included in perennial gardens. Okra requires very hot weather, and is, therefore, in this region, a marginal crop, since it will not thrive during a cool summer. Once the temperature goes below 50 degrees it stops growing, and the leaves begin to brown, curl, and drop off. We had that experience a number of times when we first started growing okra. Significantly, it is easier to grow okra here now than it was ten years ago—another sign of global warming. There is some dispute about the origins of okra, since it is now cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions worldwide, but it is generally believed that okra originated in West Africa. In corroboration of this, our word “okra” appears to be cognate with “Okuru and ila” in two languages, Igbo and Yaruba, spoken in Nigeria. The spread of okra, at least in the places I know, seems to be associated with slavery. Historically, the cultures of the American South, the Ottoman Empire, and the Arabic world all included slavery as an important institution, and imported huge numbers of slaves from sub-Saharan Africa. It is known that slaves often carried with them into captivity seeds, including okra seeds. It is no accident, therefore, that okra is very much a signature food in these former slave holding regions.
Okra, according to surviving records, was being grown in Brazil by 1658. It is thought that by the early eighteenth century okra had been introduced to southeastern United States. It is known that by 1748 it was grown as far north as Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson, our most agriculturally attuned president, noted that it was well established in Virginia by 1781. [Page from Jefferson's farm book, left, headed "Note of the Negroes Taken, 1783."] One thing those uninitiated to the joys of okra seem to know is that it is “slimy”. True, it is mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic “goo” or “slime” when the seed pods are cooked in a certain way such as in gumbos, stews, and soups, where it acts as an ideal thickener. But apart from these well known uses, it can be cooked in a way that minimizes its mucilaginous characteristics. Some of the ways include stir frying it with acidic ingredients such as citrus, tomatoes, and vinegar; or sprinkling it with a few drops of lemon juice; or cooking the whole pods very quickly leaving them al dente; or, as mother-in-law May taught me, slicing the pods into thin discs and sautéing them. A popular preparation in the Deep South is to bread okra pods and deep fry them. Okra is also, as I found in my travels, quite tasty when pickled, a dish popular in Arab and Turkish regions. For those nutrition-minded readers, you should know that okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. And because of its mucilaginous characteristic, it has many beneficial effects on the intestinal tract, in particular, preventing and treating constipation. Rather than end on this odd note, may I, dear reader, offer you a few recipes:
A Southern Okra Recipe with Cornmeal 10 pods okra, sliced in ¼ inch pieces 1 egg beaten 1 cup cornmeal ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ cup vegetable oil 1. In a small bowl, soak okra discs in egg for 5 to 10 minutes 2. In a medium bowl combine the cornmeal, salt, and pepper 3. Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium high heat. 4. Dredge okra in the cornmeal mixture coating evenly. 5. Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously. Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown and cook till golden 7. Drain on paper towels An Easy Indian Recipe for Okra 3 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion chopped 1 pound sliced fresh okra ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper salt to taste 1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat 2. Add the onion and cook till tender 3. Stir in the okra and season with cumin, ginger, coriander, pepper, and salt, and stir for a few minutes 4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the okra is tender.
My Own Variation on Sauteed Okra ¼ cup of olive oil A dozen or so okra pods cut into ¼ inch discs spread out on a paper towel ½ small onion chopped 1 clove of garlic chopped 1 cup of chopped tomatoes ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper juice of half a lemon 1. Heat a heavy skillet with the olive oil over medium/high heat. When hot add onions and sauté till soft, adding garlic towards the end 2. Turn up heat; add the okra discs and brown on both sides 3. Add chopped tomatoes and stir turning the heat down once the tomato sauce is hot. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and allow to simmer till okra is tender (or if you prefer al dente) 4. Move to serving bowl and add lemon juice. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon slices on the side. —Peter DaviesFor the complete archive of past AgriCulture blogs, click here.
