A colander full of fresh picked okra |
When the harvest exceeds our ability to eat them all, we'll start blanching and freezing them for winter (or for what we call Gumbo Season!) Here's how we do it: First we wash the okra. Put a pot of water on the stove and get it boiling. While you're waiting, cut the stems off of the okra pods. You don't want to cut the stem all the way to where it exposes the seeds though.
Ignore the green beans on the left. I was prepping both for blanching |
Once our water comes to a boil, drop the whole okra pods into the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, set your kitchen timer for 3 1/2 minutes. The unfortunate thing about the beautiful burgundy okra is that cooking it fades its vibrant color. Oh well, it was pretty to look at while it lasted. It tastes exactly the same as traditional green okra.
Adding okra pods to a pot of boiling water |
Once the timer goes off, immediately remove the okra from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and add them to a container of iced water. This shocks the okra and immediately stops the cooking process. Leave in the ice water until they are completely cool. Now we can freeze the okra.
Icing down the okra |
Before bagging them up, we'll cut the pods into slices.
Slicing the okra |
Then we'll bag them up in individual quart sized freezer bags and label them.
Bagging them up |
Here is a close-up shot of the sliced okra that has been bagged and will soon be stacked in the freezer.
Chop Chop! It's in the bag... |
Some might just see okra, but me? I see the beginnings of a chicken, okra, and sausage gumbo that will be served up with rice on a cold day to satisfy your hunger and warm your bones.
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