OKRA OKRA AND MORE OKRA

The plants are beautiful with their large green leaves and pale yellow flowers.

As beautiful as the okra plants are they can be brutal to the skin when cutting the pods.  The itchy feeling is quickly gone as soon as soap and water hits the skin.  This is never a deteriorate from cutting this delicious veggie. 

This is the perfect vegetable to grow in the extreme heat of summer.  It seems the hotter the weather the more pods it produces. 

I love okra!! Sauteed, fried, Pickled and in soups  -- Okra is the best.

My freezer is slowly filling up with okra for the winter. Here is how I freeze okra

Wash and dry ( I use newspaper -spread out on counter - with a top layer of paper towels) Let okra air dry for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Then I slice pods into small circles and put in bags in freezer.  This can be used for soups or pan sauteing.

Another way I prepare okra is by cutting off each end in putting the okra pods in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes then immediately into a cold water bath.  I drain the pods but do not air dry.  I cut the pods and shake them in cornmeal.  The cornmeal will stick without anything else added.  I then place the corn mealed okra on a tray and place in freezer.  After they have frozen I put in a freezer bag. This way they do not stick together.