Yuma Crop of the Week: Okra seed June 16, 2012

Crop of the Week: Okra seed June 16, 2012
• In Yuma County, okra is grown primarily as a seed crop, with acreage estimated to hover around 50 acres.
• Okra is a member of the mallow family, related to cotton, hibiscus and hollyhock. It is a tall (6 feet) annual tropical herb cultivated for its edible seed pod.
• Red or burgundy okra is a relatively new variety. In varying shades of color, okra may be chunky or slender and have ribbed or smooth surfaces. Growing tall, this annual vegetable plant produces large attractive hibiscus-like flowers and lobed heart-shaped usually hairy leaves with long stems attached to a thick woody stem. The pods develop in the leaf axil and grow rapidly after flowering.
• Raw red okra adds a colorful touch, but the red color disappears when cooked and the pods turn green.
• Okra probably originated somewhere around Ethiopia and was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians by the 12th century B.C. Its cultivation spread throughout North Africa and the Middle East. The seed pods were eaten cooked, and the seeds were toasted and ground, used as a coffee substitute — and still are.
• Okra came to the Caribbean and the U.S. in the 1700s, probably brought by slaves from West Africa. In Louisiana, the Creoles learned from slaves the use of okra to thicken soups.
• Tender, unripe seed pods are used as a vegetable. When cut, they exude a mucilaginous juice that is used to thicken stews (gumbo) and have a flavor somewhat like a cross between asparagus and eggplant.
• The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic “goo” when the seed pods are cooked. To avoid this effect, okra pods are often stir-fried so the moisture is cooked away or paired with slightly acidic ingredients such as citrus or tomatoes. The cooked leaves are also a powerful soup thickener.
• Gumbo is basically a stew composed of different ingredients, but usually will have chicken, tomatoes, okra, onions and rice.
• Okra is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, folacin and other B vitamins plus magnesium, potassium and calcium. It is fat-free, saturated-fat-free, cholesterol-free and low in calories.
• Okra oil is extracted from the seeds. The greenish-yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. The oil content of the seed is quite high at about 40 percent. Oil yields from okra crops are also high. At 800 pounds per acre, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.
• Okra is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world. It will tolerate poor soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture.