Louisiana Long Okra

It's the first day of July and it is hot.  I picked the last two cucumbers on the trellis and pulled the tired vines down.  The plants were just worn out.  We've never made or eaten more cucumbers - ever!  What a year.  Between Boston Pickling, Suyo Long and Marketmore varieties, we brought in baskets and baskets of the crispy, crunchy refreshing cukes.  We gave lots away at church and many to the neighbors and family members.  Each and every day we had a refreshing cucumber salad and made tzatziki.  I'll plant a fall crop once the inventory in our fridge is exhausted.

Much of the other veggies in the garden are finishing up as well, but the okra...  Well, the okra is coming in.  Okra scoffs at hot weather and dares it to get hotter.  The okra grows quickly and we pick many pods each day.  For the past couple of decades, I've planted primarily Clemson Spineless okra, Burgundy okra, and Beck's Big Okra.  I like them all.

Clemson spineless is the old standby.  We've eaten many gumbos with that variety in it.  The size of the Clemson spineless is perfect for pickling.  I love pickled okra.  Once I open a jar, it doesn't last.  The cold, tangy, spicy taste is just hard to resist.  Clemson spineless has a downside though.  If you don't pick them soon enough, the pods get "woody."

What do I mean by that?  The pods get hard and inedible.  You can tell when you go to cut them up for cooking and your knife struggles to pierce the pod.  When that happens, those go directly into the compost pile.  It was happening more and more.  So I decided to try an old heirloom variety from our area - The Louisiana Long Okra.

It's called that because the pods grow long.   How long?  About 16 inches!  I have a habit that when I cut an pod off the stalk, I chop the leaf off that's directly beneath the pod and let it drop to the ground to add to the compost.

Just by looking at the length of the okra, you would think the pod would be tough and woody, but that's not the case.  Another benefit over the Clemson spineless is that the fire ants don't seem to like them as much.  Clemson spineless is always full of fire ants that climb up the stalk and eat the pods.  When you pick the pods, the ants eat you!  So far, no fire ants on the Louisiana Long Okra.

According to my best guess, the pods are averaging about 10-11 inches long.  That means the harvest is a little better than double the other varieties.  That's not too shabby.

I like this variety.  I think  they've permanently replaced Clemson spineless.  I'll save seeds and replant next year.  I can't wait to chop these up, drench them in egg and roll them in panko breadcrumbs and make oven fried okra.  That's our favorite!  The two rows of okra will go right on producing through the next few months of summer without giving up.  It's a summer garden workhorse.