Dumbo's jumbo gumbo

[jaysouth]

I never thought I would need a ladder to pick Okra. It is over 8 feet tall this year and yields 3-4 pounds every two days. I eat it fried, pickle them, and slice and freeze. I will need around 20 pounds of frozen for venison and duck gumbo that I cook up in 5 gallon batches.

[s mac]

Not to shabby, one year my wife had some reach 13ft, I had to measure it, amazing. Love the stuff.

[DeanWinchester]

If ya wanna give it an extra kick, you could put a few grains of Hodgdon Retumbo in your Dumbo jumbo gumbo.

[jaysouth]

The jumbo gumbo is not dumbo. I'm dumbo, just ask my loving wife.

My grandfather always held that you could make a dog mean by putting gunpowder in his food. He also held that you could break a mule by jumping on it's back and biting down on the mule's ear and holding on until the mule quit bucking. He said that it took a quart of shine' to get the taste of mule out of your mouth.

[wch]

I never thought I would need a ladder to pick Okra. It is over 8 feet tall this year and yields 3-4 pounds every two days. I eat it fried, pickle them, and slice and freeze. I will need around 20 pounds of frozen for venison and duck gumbo that I cook up in 5 gallon batches.

jaysouth, if you can some of that gumbo and let me know, I'll buy it.

[375RUGER]

I've had it reach 9' before. This year, Dad, had it 8' the last pic he sent and that was over a month ago.

[snuffy]

I had to look up "okra". Yeah I've heard of it, but never knew what it was. I doubt it would grow up here in the frozen tundra, so I'll probably never get to try it. Wiki has a good write up on it, sounds like I would like it. Those are some impressive looking plants! Bon appetite!

[quilbilly]

Wish it would grow here without a hot house

[starmac]

You can't even buy it in Alaska, much less grow it. lol

[JeffinNZ]

We don't get okra here. Tell me about it.

[mikeym1a]

The fruit is a green pod, which is usually (in my experience) cut into pieces in cross section, rolled in a cornmeal batter, and then fried. It is used other ways, but, I prefer the fried version. That's the way Momma always fixed it. After reading this post, I cannot remember how big Pop's okra grew, nor where he grew it. Probably down in the hollow behind the old chicken house. That's where he grew the squash. He grew one variety called 'spaghetti squash'. When cooked properly, the 'meat' of the squash came out in strings very much like spaghetti. If you had a good cook, and a good imagination, it even tasted like spaghetti. We had okra for many years, but can't remember where he grew it, unless it was down in the hollow. That would have ended about the time I went into the service. Momma wanted a pond, with ducks. Pop generally gave Momma what she asked for. Too long ago. Can't remember where he grew that okra. GGGGgggggrrrrrr!

[Rick N Bama]

Okra is a cousin to Cotton, so much so that the blooms look almost alike. It loves long & hot summers, the hotter the better it will grow. I planted a variety called "Cowhorn" a few years ago that reached up to be 10' tall. My Clemson Spineless is about 6' tall this year, but it hasn't produced well for some reason or the other.

I like it fried with a Potato cut up & fried with it.

Rick

[762 shooter]

Okra and stewed tomatoes over rice topped with smoked sausage is so good it should be illegal. Steamed okra with butter is good, but an acquired taste. Has a texture of lumpy snot. Mmmm good.

762

[oldarkie]

okra and stewed tomatoes, grandma would tell everyone to cross there legs before they take a bite.

[w5pv]

I grow type called bush okra,it grows to about 5 foot tall it is a cowhorn type okra but best when picked about 5 to 7 inches long.Okra is a warm weather plant.It may would grow in a hot house with grow lights.A little vinegar will cut the slime.This okra will start bearing when about 18 inches tall.
I read where the DEA cut down a bunch of it for dope around Dallas/Fort Worth area.Shows how smart they are?

[jaysouth]

I always plant the Clemson Spineless variety, always in the same place. I have had okra in the same spot for 9 years now. When the season is over, I cut the plants at ground level and haul away. The roots rot out and add organic matter to the soil, which I emend every year with a little composted horse manure. I figure that the roots will go down at least 6-8 feet, which makes a very sturdy plant. Because the roots are so deep, I almost never have to water. Getting good ph balance is important and a chore to test soil down 6 feet. I normally have 16-18 pants which will yield 2-3 pounds every other day in good times.

When I was a child, the very poor ate okra boiled stem and all. Cooked this way it is so slimy that some stomachs are turned. I prefer it sliced crosswise, dredged in flour and cornmeal, salted and peppered and fried in peanut oil/butter mix. Done properly, I had rather have it than popcorn. Dusted with a little cayenne, it makes cold beer taste even better.

[popper]

JeffinNZ - you have to be from the south USA to appreciate okra. Same with almost anything green here, + zucchini. I'm a Yankee. Actually, some asians use it to make hooch.

[snuffy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra

Good read on wikipedia. I've never looked for it in the stores, maybe It was always there, just wasn't looking for it.

[429421Cowboy]

I love me some okra! Fried is the best, but layered with tomatoes, onion, and zucchini and ground lamb is how my Armenian family makes it, and that is really good as well. We call it bahmian (or something like that, at least that is how it's pronounced!) and believe the secret to not getting the slime is to layer it then cook slowly without stirring it, because stirring it breaks up the okra, which leads to the slime from inside. Seems to be true because I have never had slimy okra at my grandma's house!

[DxieLandMan]

Got to say that I love my okra too. Just make sure you wear gloves when picking it. I made the mistake of not doing that once, and only once.