Well I've added Asparagus and  Rutabaga and Turnips to the diet since going on the  GTD... and still am working to add more of the super vegies.  

I'm ready to try a couple of new ones.

So... how do you cook this Okra and how does one eat Artichokes?  I see that the hearts come packed in water, so that's good for Hunters but what does one do with them?  Also are we supposed to be eating other parts of the  Artichoke?  

Some of the other vegi's on the Hunter list are completely foreign and I have no idea where to buy them.  Maybe at this summers farmers market some will appear...

Any advice on Okra and Artichokes would be great!

Wash and completely dry Okra before cooking. Water makes it "phelgmy" .

Cut the head and trim the tail. Cut rounds evenly not too thinly. You can also cut them slantingly.

Chop onions & garlic.

Heat oil, add onions and saute. Then add garlic. Once fragrant, add chopped/sliced okra.

Add turmeric, chilli powder, salt to taste and mix well. Cover and reduce flame to low.

Stir once in a while but keep the lid on till just cooked. If the "phlegm" is still there, then remove the lid and gently stir for a minute or two.

Once done you can add crushed cumin and a teaspoon of ghee as garnishing.

I love okra, although I've never eaten it fresh...I buy it canned or frozen. If frozen, I heat up a cast iron skillet with some ghee and cook the frozen okra over med high heat until heated through. Add sea salt and voila.

Artichokes are best when steamed; either traditionally or in a pressure cooker. I wash then and cut off the stem and steam until the leaves pull easily from the whole. Don't forget to eat the heart!

the heart is the treasure hidden within!!

In Italy, we get artichokes ready in this way; cut the dark leaves and the edges of the others, peel the stem and cook the big artichoke bud  in a pan with oil or/and ghee, parsley and garlic as you like. Mint is a good alternative to parsley. In a hurry you cut the larger buds in quarters and the smallest in half  and have them ready in 15 minutes. Enjoy !
Maria Giovanna

When I cook frozen okra it's just a medium low heat. Until they are dry and warmed / cooked through.  It will be a soggy mess until then.  I may add sea salt.  I haven't added anything yet because my wife doesn't like mixing stuff like that yet.

Every summer I grow organic okra and basil, in pots.  I cut up the okra and sautee it in olive oil, adding chopped basil and a little salt near the end of cooking.  I love it that way.  I also like it in soups and veggie mixes, and the slime doesn't bother me.

Quoted from Drea

I love okra, although I've never eaten it fresh...I buy it canned or frozen. If frozen, I heat up a cast iron skillet with some ghee and cook the frozen okra over med high heat until heated through. Add sea salt and voila.

Artichokes are best when steamed; either traditionally or in a pressure cooker. I wash then and cut off the stem and steam until the leaves pull easily from the whole. Don't forget to eat the heart!

Hi Drea.. how do you cook it if it's canned?  The same way?  I could only find canned here on the Island...  

Also I found organic Artichokes at the store today but the leaves had brown spots on the outside.  How does one know if this is fresh and ok?  What should a good artichokes look like?

For now we have a can of the hearts in water that I guess I will add to a salad...   What else could I do with these canned hearts?

Ooh, canned artichoke hearts are great right out of the can or on a salad. I cook canned okra the same way (just not as long).

No, no, no, y'all.  Do it the Southern way.  You can buy frozen okra already sliced up.  Thaw it out (yes, it will be a gummy mess), toss it with rice flour or millet flour, and fry it in ghee or olive oil till it's brown and crunchy.  Salt lightly if desired.  It's really best to use fresh okra, but obviously it's hard to find (being a native of Africa and only growing in the south).  You can steam it, but if you're going to steam it, leave the tops on or it will get gummy.  Also, if the okra is young, you don't have to cut either end off.  Just slice it all up.

Quoted from Drea

Ooh, canned artichoke hearts are great right out of the can or on a salad. I cook canned okra the same way (just not as long).

My issue is that it tastes like it's marinated.  It tastes like the  citric Acid and Ascorbic acid they use in the water in the can...

I'm sure the frozen variety doesn't taste like that..  

I can't imagine that fresh okra tastes marinated.  I couldn't tell what it really tasted like after we cooked it in ghee and salt.  It just tasted like the citric acid water it came in.

I'm thinking that the canned artichoke hearts must taste the same way as they are canned in the same ingredients.

citric Acid and Ascorbic acid come in everything canned around here!
hope you can find a reliable source which doesn t use this...

I know what you are talking about (taste-wise). I don't mind it. Yes, the canned artichokes do taste the same. Look for frozen (sliced) okra in the frozen foods section of your supermarket. Frozen okra tastes better than canned, for sure, and I've never tried cooking fresh.

Ribbit's suggestion for okra sounds good, too.

Unfortunately this store didn't have frozen okra.  When i get to the mainland this friday... i'll go by a bigger supermarket and pick some up.

and yes... wow.. roll in flour and fry!!!

Anybody try the okra and black eyed pea recipe in Recipe Central?

Quoted from 1323

Anybody try the okra and black eyed pea recipe in Recipe Central?

No, but now you've piqued my interest!

Quoted from cindyt

Every summer I grow organic okra and basil, in pots.  I cut up the okra and sautee it in olive oil, adding chopped basil and a little salt near the end of cooking.  I love it that way.  I also like it in soups and veggie mixes, and the slime doesn't bother me.

Would you mind giving us some hints about growing it in pots? I've grown rows of it in my former garden but never in pots. In fact, I've heard of a lot of veggies grown in pots but never okra! What a great idea.

Oh, if folks don't like "slime," there are some recipes, besides the common dusting with compliant meal or flour and frying in a bit of oil, that get around some of that. I have at least two that I could dig up. One calls for green tomatoes, onions, etc., that is delicious, but I can't have it at present!   My mother used to cook whole okra on top of peas, string beans, butterbeans, limas, and other veggies in her pressure cooker. It made them much tastier and the okra was not so slimy cooked that way. Of course, the veggies were never stirred until the okra was carefully transferred to a separate dish. Boiling in a regular pot does the same thing except you can't stir the veggies at all until the okra is cooked and removed.

Somehow I can't imagine growing okra in pots.  They're not small plants.  And one plant doesn't produce all that many pods.  So you'd need like four dozen pots with one plant each to even get enough okra to enjoy it a couple of times a week all summer long.  If there's another way to do it, please tell.

Quoted from Ribbit

Somehow I can't imagine growing okra in pots.  They're not small plants.  And one plant doesn't produce all that many pods.  So you'd need like four dozen pots with one plant each to even get enough okra to enjoy it a couple of times a week all summer long.  If there's another way to do it, please tell.

Yes, maybe there is a type of okra that we haven't tried yet! I'm all "ears!" I love okra! And it is so easy to grow, and none of these critters around here have developed a liking for it so far, thank goodness.

I love okra roasted with the other veggies.  It goes in the oven along with the pumpkin & sweet potato.  Wash and dry it well then put it in the oven at around 180 for as long as the other veggies take (chopped up in smaller chunks).

Quoted from 2330

none of these critters around here have developed a liking for it so far, thank goodness.

Yeeeah.  The squirrels eat my tomatoes (well, back when I grew them), and we have to race them for the strawberries.  The little thieves.

Quoted from Rebecca_C

I love okra roasted with the other veggies.  It goes in the oven along with the pumpkin & sweet potato.  Wash and dry it well then put it in the oven at around 180 for as long as the other veggies take (chopped up in smaller chunks).

Do you put any spices or anything on it?  (sauce)?

Just some salt, but I have to admit, I do like things quite plain. Occassionally might make up some of Edna's Nutritional Yeast spread to have with them, but other than that, generally plain.  They usually roast up to be quite crunchy.

Will you remind us of the recipe?

Quoted from Maria Giovanna

In Italy, we get artichokes ready in this way; cut the dark leaves and the edges of the others, peel the stem and cook the big artichoke bud  in a pan with oil or/and ghee, parsley and garlic as you like. Mint is a good alternative to parsley. In a hurry you cut the larger buds in quarters and the smallest in half  and have them ready in 15 minutes. Enjoy !
Maria Giovanna

Maria,
My mother, who was Calabrese would cut off the tops, trip the sharp ends off, trim off the stem, spread the leaves Rinse and put them in a pot. She then sprinkled olive oil all over them, and then sprinkle them with Italian bread crumbs, salt and pepper, cover and cook for about 30-40 mins until you can easily pull out a leaf.

Since I can't have bread crumbs,   I use evoo and lemon juice. Artichokes are my favorite vegetable..must be an Italian thing..

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?496

for those who can drink Perrier water.....the taste is awesome after you eat an artichoke!

Thanks, Lola.  I think I'll try that nutritional yeast spread on a rice cake.

Quoted from 1323

Anybody try the okra and black eyed pea recipe in Recipe Central?

Just tried this tonight and added a bit of pineapple juice and a small amount of diced up pineapple pieces.. DELICIOUS!  

Have you tried adding tomatoes at the end of cooking the okra with garlic and onions? Takes away the slime!

My husband also blanches fresh ones and lets them chill and then eats them like celery..takes a while to aquire the taste

By the way, Down here, two okra plants feed a family all summer. They produce daily and if you do not get them off quickly, they are too big and seedy to eat!

Quoted from sml

By the way, Down here, two okra plants feed a family all summer. They produce daily and if you do not get them off quickly, they are too big and seedy to eat!

What variety are you talking about? I'm all ears! I would love to be able to enjoy okra with only two plants! Amazing!

For sure the elegant bittersweet taste of the artichokes is a gourmet habit ! and Italian people as French like to try  to be gourmets.
Please enjoy for me eggplant, mussels and octopus !
Have a nice day !
Maria Giovanna

In super SOUTH Texas we have monsoon rains and then hot, hot summers. the heat makes the okra grow like a weed..no special plant needed, just 8 hours of sun like tomoates. By the way we have 2 tomatoe seasons, February 14th that gives in June and August that gives before Thanksgiving!Lots of backwork needed to keep it going!

Our okra grows like weed too, but each plant only produces a pod like every other day.  I guess we eat a whole lot more okra than most people would.  I fry up 1 1/2 lb. at a time and we down it in one meal easily.  We'd love to eat this much two or three days a week.  That's a lot of okra.