01 October 2012

okra glut

The Okra patch continues to just grow and grow and grow. I've quit picking the pods, though- I've got a gallon freezer bag full in storage and still haven't tried cooking with any of it yet. My little girl got hold of a pod that was too mature for eating- no longer tender- and splitting open the sides she found all the round seeds in rows. Kept her busy a while picking them out and eating them!

Ha! I just discovered an interesting fact- looked up "eat okra seed" and apparently it's another plant item you can dry, roast, grind and use for a coffee substitute. Now of course I'm curious to try that! Almost done using up my roasted dandelion root (haven't got ahold of any chicory root- the only ones I see around are growing on roadsides where it's not wise to harvest as the plants can absorb toxins from the fumes of cars- but I've been considering growing it). I've been using the dandelion root mixed in with the regular coffee beans, fifty percent each, ground fresh together. It doesn't change the taste much, you can just barely discern the herby flavor of the dandelion, and gives me the nutritional boost. (Also keeps my husband from drinking my leftover coffee- I drink so little that one carafe brewed last me several days but he really dislikes the dandelion root so leaves mine alone if I've added that!)

I also learned that okra is related to hibiscus- makes sense. The flowers look so similar now that I pay attention to them.

2 comments:

chrisa511 said...

That is so cool!! I didn't know you could use okra seeds as a coffee substitute!! I told you just to be patient and you'd have more okra than you could eat :p They take forever to mature but once they do, they really take off! I've left a few pods on mine before to dry up and split open and they'll drop their seeds and resow new plants…it's kind of cool :)

Jeane said...

Yeah, it's something I'm really curious about. I like the dandelion coffee substitute fine but want to try chicory - supposedly it has a richer flavor- and now really curious about roasted okra seed, too! Although from what I read you have to have a ton of okra to get one pot of "coffee".