Okra flower or pod? I cantt tell the difference

[matanai]

I'm having a hard time telling the difference between an okra that is ready to be picked and eaten, and a flower bud/. I picked a couple "real" okras and then picked another one that turned out to be an almost closed (or maybe just opening?) flower bud. I really can't tell when they're ready or not and I"m trying. I never see them flower so either

Comments

[mamculuna]

Hope you feel better soon! That sounds miserable. An okra that's ready to eat will be slightly fuzzy and will have detectable ribs. It will be a couple of inches long. Here are pictures: http://www.google.com/images?q=okra%20pod&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1152&bih=512

The flower looks like a hibiscus and I think at the length of a ripe pod should be turning creamy. Here are pictures: http://www.google.com/images?q=okra%20flower%20bud&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1152&bih=512

[matanai]

Ok thank you! Does the flower fall off before the fruit starts? i guess I have seen some closed flower buds on the ground and thought they looked like little soft wrinkly rotten okras. I wish the fruit and the flower looked more different! I was going to cut open some of my okra in the fridge to see if any of those were flower buds but then I got sick XD
I can eat these tihngs like candy (spicy pickled okra mmm) but when it comes to the plant I don't know a darn thing xD

I think I'm at the end of my cold. my BF makes fun of me and says I take the longest out of everyone to get over simple things. I would miss a week of work or school just for a simple cold! My dog is driving me nuts too... poor thing has been stuck inside with me.

[mamculuna]

Yes, the flower falls off. And maybe you could mark one and watch it for a while--if it just keeps getting bigger and stays green and fuzzy with little ribs, it's the okra, but if it starts changing to a creamy white it's the flower. The flowers are very pretty. Don't let the okra get more than about 3 inches long--it gets woody.

A couple of good ways to cook okra: slice and stir fry briefly with garlic and red pepper flakes, and then stir in some cooked brown rice, for okra fried rice. Also, last night I had some grilled okra (whole pod--just til it's slightly singed) with lemon juice, and it was great! Don't over cook it and definitely don't boil it! Slimy boiled okra is not good!

[matanai]

The okra fried rice sounds delicious! My old 2 standbys for okra are obviously fried okra,and then the spicy pickled okra. I had an okra gumbo once but it was kind of gross. :/ It was a texture thing.

[mamculuna]

The gross stuff is what happens when the okra is cooked too long (the slimy!) If you make gumbo and just put the okra in for a few minutes before you eat it, it doesn't get yucky.

[matanai]

Okra slime makes me thinnk of natto slime. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_C_aEsc2f7JI/RdMkdY8w__I/AAAAAAAAARI/Q2L02JQEmKg/s320/250px-Natto_mixed.jpg

*hork, hork, hoarf!*

Alton Brown had an episode on okra, it was one of my favorites, he had to think up ways to make okra yummy and not slimy so that the okras manager would get him more work