Why do people hate certain foods so much? It may have been having
to eat them when they didn’t want to as kids. Or eating them when
they were poorly prepared. Or eating them so much they got tired
of them. Or, as my mother would have said, “they have not
taste.”

We have only four tastes: sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
Everything else we “taste” is associated with either smell or
texture.

Well, Abelmoschus esculentus, the vegetable many people
love to hate, frankly has an off-putting texture to some. If you
don’t know Latin names, Abelmoschus esculentus is that
most delicious of Southern vegetables: okra.

Wait…

Now, before you get turned off, read on for a minute.

According to (Edward Lewis) “Sturtevent’s Notes on Edible
Plants,” okra has been cultivated for more than 800 years. It
came to America from Africa and was quickly incorporated into the
cooking of the South. For the Creoles of Louisiana, okra became a
vital part of their gumbos and stews.

More recent data shows that more than 41 million pounds of frozen
breaded okra are processed annually. That’s a lot of fried
okra.

Many Uses

Over the years, besides in foods, okra has been used in many
ways:

• Philippine scientist Eduardo Quisumbing lists okra’s
  extensive uses in “Medicinal Plants of the Philippines.”
• he plant parts can be processed into fiber, some of it used
  for making paper.
• The seeds can be processed for oil to be made into soap and
  vegetable shortenings.
• The seeds have also been dried, roasted and ground for use as
  a coffee substitute. (Having tried okra coffee, I find it’s
  really not so bad. But in no way will it ever replace my
  coffee!)

Considering its utility, why don’t more people eat okra? It’s the
mucilage, that slimy exudate present in both raw and cooked
okra.

Thickening Property

I know it turns some off, but that unctuousness is exactly the
characteristic we cooks are looking for. This thickening property
is essential for gumbos, soups and stews (the “slime” is
unnoticeable in many dishes prepared with okra).

Not everyone hates the mucilage. Stewed tomatoes with Vidalia
onions and okra means summer has arrived for many people. And if
no one likes it, why is it that when I go to salad bars the
pickled okra is always half gone. Someone must be eating it.

If you don’t like okra as a general rule, try it pickled. Or try
it one of my favorite ways: Place young, tender pods in Italian
dressing for 30 minutes, then drain them and eat them. This
process renders the okra easy to slice and tasty in salads.

Plant Now

Mid- to late May is the time to plant okra seed. Okra is a true
tropical and won’t germinate when the soil is cool. It doesn’t
transplant well because its taproot system breaks during the
process.

Plant several seeds in hills 2 feet apart, then thin the shoots
to one strong plant. Use a medium fertilizer program, because too
much nitrogen will cause the plants to produce all foliage and
very few pods.

Okra takes full sun and will grow in almost any Georgia soils.
Keep an even watering schedule, and enjoy okra throughout the
season.

Having done all of my graduate research work on okra, I can’t see
why anyone wouldn’t eat it. Now, if I could only convince my wife
and daughters.