Okra Explosion!

I have been wanting to get this blog post done since last week, but as I said, life has been jam-packed full.  I just got through my last extra meeting for a little while.  But school and soccer are in full swing this week.  Next week is a break week for our little homeschool which, by the way, we call Wisdom Trackers Academy.  Maybe I will get the time to do so of the finishing work on my crochet projects.  I have completed the butterfly I was working on, but I have to iron and block it before I can do the ta-daa!! moment.  I also need to get some ribbon for those bootie ballet slippers!

My garden has been awesome this year.  As you've seen from other posts, the tomato plant and the okra have been growing into mammoth plants.  The tomato is pretty much toast, but take a look at this okra:

The 1st pictures show the plants in juxtaposition

to other tall things in the backyard.

Like the 6' fence:

And the tree and power line:

a

I have to pull some of the stalks over and down to
where I can reach the pods in order to cut them!!!

Here's what some of the crazy, thick stalks look like:

This, of course, is the flower that results in the fruit of the plant:

And the okra pods themselves:

These grow amazingly quickly and must
be cut with clippers every day to day and a half.

This is an average picking day's worth:

In order to prepare them for eating fresh,
just slice them for your recipe.
If you are wanting to freeze them
for future use like I do, you
slice them, slip them into a zip-lock bag
and seal it, then throw the bag in the freezer.

(Some pods grow a little crooked.)

An average day makes about 1 to
1 1/2 gallon bags of sliced okra.

Some pods get rather large, as you can see.
When they are this big, they get tough and are
very stringy to try to eat.  Okra are best picked
while small and sliced while fresh.

Make sure you pick them frequently!!!
If you have a busy weekend and can't
get to it like I didn't this past weekend,
then the harvest explodes and too many
of the pods grow big, thick, and tough.

Like this!

(This load gave almost 3 gallon bags full
even with all the pods I had to throw
out because they were too tough.)

Coming soon:  ~FRIED OKRA~

YUM!  YUM!!  YUM!!!