Okra Selection Information | Nutritional Information | Tips & Trivia
Scientific Binomial Name:
Cooked or pickled - often used in Creole dishes.
Good-quality okra will be firm, dry and you should feel a soft fuzz similar to a peach on the skin which will have no blemishes.
The coloring of good quality okra will be medium to dark green (a few varieties are white). The shape can be either short and stocky or long and slim.
Avoid product that is soft, wet, has dark spots on the skin or brown, soft stems.
Always store in the refrigerator.
In general, vegetables will not ripen further after harvest.
Amount per serving
Closely related to the cotton plant, okra seed pods are harvested when immature.
The okra plant originated in the Near East and came to America with the slave trade. The name okra comes from the Gold Coast of Africa language twi, as "nkruman," and was gradually abridged to okra.
Slaves from Angola called okra "ngumbo" which became gumbo, still a widely-used synonym by which many okra dishes are described.
Prune & Plum Season
Plums and prunes from Southern States are available from May through October. Washington product is available during late August and all of September.
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