Okra may be one of the most underused plants in a veg , but many people do n’t understand how much of the plant is eatable . you may eat the leaves , flowers , seeds and pods . The foliage can thicken stew . The germ can be used for tea or coffee , and the flowers summate a nutty , asparagus - like flavor to salad or ready food .
When to Harvest Okra Flowers
Okra flowers begin to appear50 to 60 daysafter you plant your Abelmoschus esculentus . Look for them first among the leaves near the bottom of the plant . You wo n’t have much time to reap the blossom once they appear because okra is self - pollinating , and the pod begin to appear within five or six days after the flowers appear .
think back , though , that every prime that you reap means one less pod you will have to reap later , so do n’t pick them all . You might even want to bring through some of the pod so that you’re able to harvest the source and test them later on in the growing season .
How to Harvest Okra Flowers
you may harvest Hibiscus esculentus flowers in two ways , count on how you require to stash away them .
you’re able to use a tongue or pruning shears to cut the stem just as if you were gather them to put them in a vase if you want to stack away your prime on the stem .
If you desire to store your flowers in a container , you could harvest them as you wouldharvest okrapods . Cut the stem just below the cap or the Qaeda of the prime pass on just a stub of the stem .
How to Clean Okra Flowers
you may utilize these steps to cleanany edible flower .
Storing Okra Flowers
To hive away your flower on the stem , aim them in a jounce , glass , or vase of water in your icebox . you could also wrap them in credit card or place them in a tightly sealed container .
If your flowers should wilt before you are ready to apply them , you could revive them by placing them in ice water system , but only leave them there for a few second base .
How to Serve Okra Flowers
Okra flowers and leaves contain the same fatheaded mucilage that you get in the pod , but there are ways to reduce it . As with the pods , after you houseclean them , ensure that the leaves or flowers are completely dry before adding them to a salad or cooking with them .
fake the pod or the leaves at a humiliated temperature releases more of the mucilage which helps them to inspissate dishes like stews and gumbo . Cooking them at eminent temperatures or tally them to dishes that hold back acidic foods like tomato plant reduces the amount of mucilage that ’s release .
Flowers are too frail to withstand wangle at temperature that are too gamey for very tenacious , though . you may , however , apply gumbo efflorescence as you would squash blossoms or electrocute them in slugger as you would okra pod . You also can stuff them with tall mallow and broil them .
Tips thatreduce the amount of gum released by okra podsinclude broil , roasting , or sautéing the okra before add it to your dish ; dust the fuel pod with acetum ; or station the pods to soak for half an hour in 1/2 cup of vinegar for each pound of Hibiscus esculentus and then allowing it thoroughly ironic before adding it to your bag .
You could quickly sauté either the bloom or the leaves before adding them to a knockout that requires cooking . The leaves also could be soaked before adding them to a salad , but you might only want to sprinkle the prime with vinegar and then allow them dry before tossing them into a salad or using them as a garnish .
