Okra seems to be one of the foods synonymous with the south — alongside fried chicken, collard greens, and cast-iron cornbread. And indeed, the warm-weather crop does best in places where the temperatures are sizzling!
This delicious, nutritious, and versatile vegetable need not be constrained below the Mason-Dixon Line, however. Growers all over the country can enjoy the beautiful and under-utilized vegetable. All you need is a sunny, warm place and maybe a glass of sweet tea.
Okra Origins
You wouldn’t necessarily know okra’s relatives just by seeing the pods, but take in the sight of the whole, beautiful, blooming okra in its entirety. To the plant familiar, it will probably become clear that okra is in the mallow family, a relative to the similar-looking hibiscus blossom and the swamp-loving rose mallow. Like other mallows, okra has the distinctive mucilaginous qualities that some call “slimy” but soups and gumbos are remiss without.
The origins ofAbelmoschus esculentusare somewhat unclear, however. Some sources say that okra was originally native to Ethiopia or West Africa while others claim south Asian origins.
The American word okra and similar Caribbean wordokrocome from the Igbo language of southeastern Nigeria, and the familiar dishgumbomay have come from “a Portuguese corruption,quingombo,of the wordquillobo —thenative name for the plant in the Congo and Angola areas of Africa.”
所以,即使你像我一样对语言不感兴趣,了解了用来描述这种植物的单词的广泛传播起源,你就会知道它是通过贸易路线传播到世界各地的。它慢慢地进入了印度、南欧、南美洲和美国南部的美食中,在那里它在炎热的天气里很流行。
Okra Growing Conditions
秋葵喜欢热的!通常,只有夜间温度达到华氏60度,白天温度达到华氏80度时,种子才会发芽。因此,尽管每年的秋葵没有任何美国农业部指定的区域,但你必须仔细考虑种植的时间。一般的经验法则是,如果你能种植玉米,你应该能及时收获秋葵。
Planting Okra
My first year planting okra, I had a terrible germination rate because I put the seeds in the ground far too early, and they rotted rather than sprouting. Practice patience and don’t make the same mistake I did. Though you can start okra three or four weeks earlier indoors, the sprouts are very delicate and resent being transplanted.
It may just be best to wait until summer is in full swing — and for some northern planters, that may mean waiting all the way until mid-June to get seeds in the ground. Some growers recommend planting okra a few weeks after your tomatoes just to be sure.
Related Post:Companion Planting For Okra
When you do plant, pick your sunniest location. Okra is pretty forgiving when it comes to soil pH and fertility, but you’ll help yourself by preparing the soil with a decent amount of compost. Just be careful with the amount of nitrogen. As with many garden plants dependent on blooms for a yield, too much of that single nutrient will result in lush leaf growth but few flowers. And few flowers mean only a few pods to eat.
Work the soil very deeply —the taproot may extend up to four feet deep in favorable conditions— and plan to grow each plant with plenty of room to spread. Some varieties top 8 feet tall, and they may spread just as far!
So, unless you’re planting one of thedwarf varieties, place it somewhere in the background of the garden where you can enjoy its showy blooms and not shade any of your other crops.
值得庆幸的是,一旦长出主根,秋葵就会成为你花园里最耐旱的植物之一,这样你就可以在干旱时期照顾其他喜水植物了。
How To Harvest Okra
Though it may seem like a while before your okra plants are producing, once they get going, they’re often pod-producing machines. Be sure to harvest the tender pods when they are between 2 and 4 inches long. Any longer, and they’ll be too tough to chew (unless you’re growing cow horn okra).
Keep in mind that some plants produce pods from flowers within two or three days, so once harvest season is underway, plan on visiting your plants every day.
Try not to fret if you miss a pod or two — they may become too woody to cook, but they can be your seed for next year! Since the plant is self-pollinated, you can rest assured that your seeds should be viable. All the same, remove the pods you find as they grow. Consider okra a “cut-and-come-again” sort of plant — keep harvesting, and the harvest will keep coming.
You should consider wearing gloves while handling your okra harvest. The plant is covered with potentially irritating spines or hairs depending on the variety. Even varieties termed “spineless” may still irritate sensitive individuals. Thankfully, these prickly properties disappear as soon as the pods are cooked.
Storing And Preserving Okra
Even when refrigerated, okra keeps less than a week fresh, so have a plan for your harvest before you bring it in to the kitchen. Otherwise, you’ll find a tragic bowl full of fuzzy, moldy pods in short order.
戴夫是当地一位农民朋友,他给我的一个建议是,在冰箱里放一袋调味过的玉米粉。当他收获秋葵时,他会清洗秋葵,切成片,然后把它扔进袋子里。一旦袋子装满了,他就会开始一个新的,很快,他就会准备好面包屑的秋葵,准备整个冬天油炸。
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You can also pickle and can okra to preserve it. And slicing and dehydrating may be yet another way to preserve your tasty okra pods.They apparently reconstitute in soups and stews with little ill effect.
For those growing their own okra, it’s important to know that the delicious pods aren’t the only food you can gain from them. Young leaves are totally edible both cooked and raw in salads, and the mature seeds have been roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.
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Check out this letter to a newspaper from 1863where a Georgian cotton farmer enthusiastically relates his experiment to replace coffee with roasted okra seeds …with apparently very satisfying results. Baker Creek even offers an okra variety specifically developed for producingcoffee. If you’re trying to break a caffeine addiction, maybe okra is a place to start!
Potential Okra Problems
The biggest issue that may beleaguer your okra-growing success is cold. They just don’t tolerate it. If you live in an area with a short growing season, plan accordingly. Okra needs around 50 warm, sunny days to produce a harvest. If a night looms with the threat of frost, you’ll have to resign yourself to kissing your okra goodbye before you go to bed.
Even if the cold doesn’t wipe out your plants, cool spells can encourage fungus growth. If you notice leaves being affected, wait until a warm, sunny day dries off the leaves, andremove the diseased looking ones.
As far as garden pests go, they seem to focus on the leaves of the plant rather than the fruit itself. The usual suspects includeJapanese beetles,aphids, and stink bugs. If you have a small enough plot, hand-maintenance and well-aimed jets of water may be able to keep the bugs at bay.
Okra Varieties To Consider
Clemson Spineless
Probablythe most popular varietygrown in home gardens. It produces the familiar, green pods that you imagine when you think “okra.”
Burgundy
This is the varietyI’m growing in my garden this year! What can I say? I’m kind of a sucker for pretty colors, and the bright red pods and stems are a bonus alongside the tender fruit.
Jing Orange Okra
A good variety for dry areas, with stunninglyorange-red pods.
牛的角
Unlike most okra varieties,cow horn okracan stay tender even when 8 to 10 inches long (hence the name).
Kandahar Okra
I love the opportunity this hardy okra provides. Not a specific cultivar, it will produce pods of many colors and shapes. Selective breeding with thislandraceof okra gives you the opportunity to develop your land’s own, specific cultivar!
我想,很多厨房对这种美味的蔬菜不够熟悉,尤其是像我的出生地俄亥俄州这样的北方厨房。在我搬到欧扎克之前,我真的没吃多少秋葵……我错过了很多!
如果你以前没有种过这种漂亮的开花作物,现在看看你是否能把它种在地里还不晚。如果你是种植秋葵的老手,我很想在下面的评论中听到你的一些食谱。
Trevor McPhersonsays
Thanks for your information regarding growing okra. As one of my favourit vegetables I will try and grow some this year. So I hope things work well, and the British weather gives me a chance to a healthy harvest. Kind regard. Trevor McPherson