Quote:
Originally Posted by b54red
Rajun, those seed you sent me are now producing okra like crazy. I love how the plants stay shorter than standard Cowhorn which is usually too tall to pick by this time of the year. My good buddy grew the regular Cowhorn and can no longer pick his because it is so tall now. That is the reason I quit growing Cowhorn okra about five year ago.
After thinning the plants so they are about six feet apart and switching them a couple of times they really went to town. The plants are now all between 5 and 7 feet tall but they are almost six feet across with numerous producing stems. I only have ten plants now and can't give the okra away fast enough so I am going to ask if anyone knows a good way to freeze okra. I would love to have a couple of gallons put away for gumbo in the winter months.
Bill
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It really couldn't be simpler. Fresh from the garden is best. Trim the stems to about a 1/16 inch, wash it and allow to drain in a collander for a couple of minutes, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer over night. You can stack trays on top of each other. When the Okra is frozen, remove from the freezer and pour it into a good quality freezer bag (not a slider). Remove the excess air from the bag using a straw. Repeat until the bag is full. Start another bag. It will keep until you have Okra again the next year.
To use, pour the amount you need into a colander and run cold water over the Okra to partially thaw it. (remove the air from the bag and return the extra Okra to the freezer) If you're going to cook it whole like on top of your blackeyed peas, just trim off the stem. Partially thawed also works if you're using it chopped for fried Okra or in soups or stews. Remove the stems and chop as needed. If you need to bread it, it'll be ready by the time you get it chopped.
As long as you keep the air removed from the bag so the Okra doesn't get freezer burn you can't tell this from fresh. enjoy, claud