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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 30, 2020 9:14:17 GMT -6
I'll try to post the URL to a PBS special called, "A taste of History" From Garden Kitchen to Table.
What I was interested in conveying, in particular, was the chef in this series, deep frying whole okra pods on an open fire, using cast iron pots in his colonial kitchen. That can be found at time mark 16:42 in the video.
The following URL is a link to the website: www.pbs.org/video/from-kitchen-garden-to-table-qf2upn/
It's a 25:29 length video, demonstrating 'Three Sisters' Cooking, as well as a few pointers on 'Three Sisters' gardening techniques. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of my grandmother using her cast iron cook pots and Dutch Ovens to cook over an open fire while on camping trips when I was a boy. (Best fried potatoes, beans, corn on the cob, and deep fried catfish I ever ate.) Great memories!
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Post by rdback on Jul 31, 2020 10:16:09 GMT -6
Good video Ron!
I've eaten a lot of fried okra, but I don't recall ever having the whole pod fried. Maybe I'll give it a try this year, if the AfricanX produces here.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 12:11:04 GMT -6
Watched it last night. That food looked really good! Learned a few cooking tips. I need to watch it again as the info is dense and quickly passed over to save time.
My okra from the 2nd plantings have a couple plants that are over a foot high. Should see some okra from the. The first set are just now taking starting to grow.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 1, 2020 21:34:53 GMT -6
August 1, 2020
Harvest #2 of the season ... 5 more pounds of tender pods harvested this evening.
At this stage of production, it's very important to harvest the first few pods right away, so that the plants don't go into seed production during their first bloom and start laying down for the season. They need to feel a little stressed at this point in order to kick into second gear and really shoot for the stars.
If they think they've done their job of reproducing, they'll just relax and take it easy the rest of the season. If they think they've lost all their first tender pods, they'll re-double their efforts and try harder next time. They'll continue to do that for as long as you keep them harvested cleanly, but if ever a tough pod is allowed to grace their branches, it will signal via hormones, to the plant, to slow down and concentrate all efforts on seed production rather than focusing on forming new blossoms and preparing for new pod production.
Okra is lazy. It will lay down and quit on you if you let it, so don't let it. Keep those plants harvested daily and you'll have a bumper crop by the end of the season.These are some branchy little fellas this season! They'll bear very well if I keep them picked clean for the next 60 days.Each branch of these plants will produce an average of 10 pods. That's a lot of okra!
As you can see, by looking down this row, all the plants are branching nicely.
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Post by WD - Lawton on Aug 3, 2020 13:49:06 GMT -6
Ron,
Those are amazing okra plants!
Do you ever cut any lower leaves off Heavy Hitter?
If so, how can you tell early on what will be just a leaf and what will actually be a branch?
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 3, 2020 21:04:44 GMT -6
WD, Good question ... Yes, I do prune the lower leaves away to promote branching. It's hard to convey just how I do that. I start pruning when the plants start looking too leafy, which ought to start happening in about the next week or two, as the plants begin to 'bolt'.
I only cut the lower leaves, not the branches or any leaves forming on any branches. Eventually, the branches will also begin branching. I call that "secondary branching" the secondary branches also produce pods. Each new branch will produce an average of 10 extra pods, so the more the merrier as far as branches are concerned.
The branches appear at each leaf node, right in the crotch between the leaf and the main trunk. When the branch reaches about 6" or 8" inches in length, I cut the leaf away from the main trunk of the plant, to focus the energy to the new branch. Sometimes, I spend more time trimming leaves off than I do harvesting okra, which can get to be frustrating when you have a lot of okra to pick but you're too busy pruning to get your work done.This is what the finished product looks like. I do this to promote airflow to prevent mildew as much as anything.
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Post by WD - Lawton on Aug 4, 2020 8:31:08 GMT -6
Thank you for the reply, Ron.
Yes, I see the branches forming there at the leaf node, right at the main trunk!
And I did not know it would have "secondary branching." Wow! This okra is going to be great! I will keep you posted and will post some pictures as they progress!
Thanks again!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 12, 2020 21:34:45 GMT -6
Okra Pizza I picked 20 pounds of Heavy Hitter Okra today. So afterward, I got inventive with what to do with some of it. I've always liked grilled okra, brushed with a little olive oil and some grilling spices, so I wondered what it would be like as a pizza topping.
Apparently, it was alright stuff, being how more than half of it was gone before I could return with a camera.I just sliced a few tender okra pods lengthwise, brushed them with a little oil, seasoned them as if I was going to grill them, placed them on a pizza with my other garden toppings, like fresh, homegrown tomato, onion, baby yellow squash, baby zucchini, and lots of little ajicito pepper rings. Then, popped the whole thing in a 400-degree oven. 20-minutes later, dinner was served.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 12, 2020 21:43:10 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 22:57:55 GMT -6
I have the biggest and healthiest looking Heavy Hitter okra seedling plant right now. I seeded this one out in June after the others proved difficult in the new plot of ground. It really is the biggest I've ever seen. I hope to eat some okra. I'm not going to worry about saving seed although that opportunity still might present itself, because I still have a very high germination rate on all the Heavy Hitter Okra in storage many of which are several years old.
My AX Okra just took off at the same time my bean plants setting pods in cooler weather seemingly int he last 24 hours.
I become jelly of ya'll getting fruit before me, but then I'm further north than you are. I just hope we get a little bit more summer for my growies. Right now it looks as if fall wants to settle in and that could mean a disaster for my warm crops. This happens here, sometimes whereby we get side swiped by the storms floating over the state. We're right on the border of zones 6b/7a. The storms don't hit is directly but we usually get a lot of cloud coverage on the wings of the storm. It means more gentle moisture, but hard on the warm weather crops. This may be why I have such beautiful clay loam in so much of my yard.
This cloud cover is what happened to us in Spring. Now, maybe this fall?
I have tall grass and debris on one side of my tomato bed among the heavy bags of leaves, an area that I have failed to get cleaned up quickly. It is causing lack of air flow and the moisture buildup is beginning to be problematic. This problem made itself known when I had slug damage on my leafy greens in June. I should have acted back then.
Overall, this year has mostly been a failure and it's starting to get to me. My cole crop seedlings are all lined up, though. No green house, but once they hit the ground, they should do well if I can keep the bug damage down.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 12, 2020 23:08:19 GMT -6
Bon, It has been a bad year for all of us, but these last two weeks really did provide a few 'pick-me-ups' in the area of gardening. Yeah, I was like you, all the failures stacking up this season were really starting to get to me. I guess God knew that though, and sent some rays of hope my way.
I'll be praying for you, Bon. Keep your chin up and keep swinging. Those weeds can't win if you just keep swinging.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 23:20:49 GMT -6
Thanks!
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Post by Beginner Gardner on Aug 13, 2020 10:07:37 GMT -6
I am very new to Okra garden. Just planted some and with tips from some helpful gardeners, my okra just took off. Now I am not sure I really know when to harvest. Maybe I am harvesting too early because the pods are very small. Any tips??. Approximately how long does it take from bloom to harvest?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2020 16:12:38 GMT -6
I'm sure Ron will be around right quick, but I can say that in August - be quick! They grow fast, I usually pick them when they are finger length. In August mine are usually too small in the morning and by the afternoon the same one is ready to harvest, for example.
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Post by macmex on Aug 13, 2020 16:44:13 GMT -6
Ron (Heavyhitterokra) is our resident expert on okra, but I can say that generally the pods are ready in about a week from flowering. They grow very quickly. How large the pods are when ready to pick depends on variety and somewhat on conditions. They can be picked any time they are large enough to be worth your while amd up until they get tough. Once okra starts to bear it generally produces a lot until cool weather slows or stops it (as long as one picks frequently).
George
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