The Nutrition of Okra & Other Lore

Okra is truly a southern vegetable. Not many people we have met from the north or in Alaska, have eaten okra. Some had not heard of it, and most didn’t even know what it looks like. There are a variety of ways to fix okra. Some like it in gumbo, which we have not had, some like it fried and some like it pickled. Then there is okra and tomatoes, which Frank has eaten back in one of his last lives. Okra is a heat loving plant. It doesn’t do well in cool, cloudy weather. Until it gets hot and sunny, okra doesn’t grow well here in Zone 7. Historically speaking, more food is fried in the south than in the north, and fresh fried okra is one of our favorite summertime meals. We fry our okra in olive oil, which is the only type of oil we use.

 
One of the easiest ways to preserve okra is to freeze it. We like to wash, slice and coat it with cornmeal, fill up a quart size freezer bag and it’s good to go. We have also canned okra for frying before. There are a lot of different opinions out there about the safest way to can okra so it is still good to fry. You will have to decide about that for yourself. But, as always, follow tested, recommended procedures.

By the way, our experiment with cutting back the okra plants when they get too tall to reach is going very well. The plants have bushed out at the bottom with numerous side branches. These lower branches are really starting to produce quite well, so I feel like we are getting a second harvest in the fall. It’s very interesting, especially since it has been so successful. I put another three quarts of sliced okra in the freezer today.

The nutritional information I am going to provide is for raw okra. If you go to the website, you can search for okra and find the nutritional values for boiled but not fried. The nutrients included in 1 cup of raw okra are:

• calories 31
• carbohydrates 7.0g
• protein 2.9g
• vitamin A, C, K

• niacin
• folate
• choline
• calcium 
• magnesium
• potassium
• phosphorus
• phytosterols
• omega-6 fatty acids

I find it interesting to see how many vegetables contain vitamins A, C, & K; along with a fair amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. When I finish this nutritional series, it will be interesting to see what combination of vegetables provide a fairly balanced daily vitamin and/or mineral source.

We have all grown up knowing that our vegetables are ‘good for us’. How many times did we hear that as kids? Now that we are growing some of our own food, it means more to us to know what we are getting out of what we grow. Add that to growing open pollinated or heirloom varieties, without chemical additives and the nutritional content of each plant increases. How much, I don’t know, but I know the dirt our vegetables grow in are full of worms, organic matter, wood ashes and barnyard. That in itself doesn’t sound very appetizing, but the food it produces sure is. There was a very good casserole at our Sunday luncheon at church last month that had okra, squash, potatoes and onions in it. I’m not sure exactly how they cooked it or seasoned it, but I will find out and let you know, because it was very good. What is your favorite okra story? Please share with us in the comments below.

Until next time – Fern