When summertime temperatures are at the hottest , okra hits its hottestgrowth streak , and that is also when it blossom and begins producing pods . Okra not only give rise pods quickly , but the pods also grow and ripen rapidly . check the pods to prevent them from becoming too bad and woody to eat might keep you harvesting them on a daily basis .
Gardeners, Start Your Harvesting
While okra may get off to a tiresome start , it grows cursorily once temperature fond , and once it flowers , it begins producing pods speedily . Your okra plant will maturefrom 50 to 65 day after you embed it , depending on the develop status and the variety you planted . It will bring on seedcase five to six day after it flower , and the seedpod will be ready for harvesting two to three days after they first appear .
To at least strain to keep forward of thing , you could start watching for flower bud about 45 days after you plant your okra plant . If you did n’t constitute a spineless variety , you will in all probability want to wear upon long sleeves and glove when look for for and harvest home okra because some gardeners find that the spines nettle their pelt .
A Jungle Treasure Hunt for Okra Flowers and Pods
The first efflorescence buds , flowers , and subsequent pods will appear among the magnanimous leaves at the base of the plant . You will most likely have to fight these leaves aside to find the flowers and fuel pod and have got the leaf back as you harvest the pods , but be deliberate not to damage the farewell or knock down any efflorescence bud , peak , or seedcase when you move the leave of absence as you seek .
The flower bud , flower , and pods will commence appearing at increasingly higher grade on the industrial plant , and when they do , you could habituate pruning shear to remove those large lower leave . Removing them will further more pods to appear higher on the plant .
Okra varieties can grow to over 6 foundation marvelous . To fend off having to wax a ladder to harvest your okra , you may trim it back . In late summer , you could slue back the top third of your okra plants . The plants will continue to produce at the low levels .
Harvesting Your Okra Treasure
The pods that you want to reap are the ones that are 2 in retentive or longer . The pod that you will need to keep are the ones that are 2 to 4 inches long .
Okra pods can grow up to 12 inches long , but those that are over 5 inches recollective are probable to be too woody and tough to eat . Unless it is near the death of the develop time of year and you want to reap the okra seeds , you should remove these longer pods from your plant when you chance them . leave them on the plant will slack the product of Modern pods as the works turns its energy toward rise and mature the seeds in the elder , foresighted pods .
With okra , the more pods you harvest , the more seedcase your plant will grow .
harvest home okra is easy . Simply utilise pruning shears or a penetrating knife to edit the stem , leaving about 1/4 in of the shank at the top of the okra seedpod . When you are harvesting lady’s-finger at the pedestal of the works , you may have your helping hand full as you attempt to abbreviate stems while holding back the leaves . It wo n’t hurt the pods to let them descend to the footing at these low levels .
test to fascinate the pods or hold onto them as you cut the theme at gamy levels , though , to keep the pod from becoming bruised by a fall . Have a basket or old bag hang over your sleeve to put the okra in as you cut it .
At the end of the growing season , when you are done glean your okra and any seed that you need to save , you’re able to pull your okra up by the roots . Okra , however , is a very woody , stringy plant life . So , before you supply it to your compost , you will need to chop up it up into small pieces or cast out it down on the ground in your garden and run your lawn mower over it as you bag it before you add it to your compost .
Separating the Good Pods From the Bad
When you are harvest your okra , you will want to keep seedpod that are :
You should chuck out fuel pod that are :
If you are n’t certain about whether or not to keep some of the longer pods that you glean , clean themin your kitchen as if you were become to employ them , and then try snapping them in one-half or cut them subject with a sharp knife . If the pod cut or snap open easily , they are still good , but you should utilise them within a day or two . If they are unmanageable to cut open , then they have become too mature , and you should add them to your compost .
Storing Your Okra After Harvesting
You canstore your okra in your refrigerator or you may freeze it , can it , or pickle it , but process it for long terminus storage immediately after harvest home because Hibiscus esculentus spoils rapidly . you could keep okra in your freezer for up to nine month . Always label rooted , can , or pickled vegetables with the what veggie is in the bundle or jar , the date that you processed it , and the seasonings or recipe that you used to make it .
you’re able to find many delicious formula for canning and pickling okra online . If you want to try out with make your own recipe , flavorings that go well with okra include :
You also can create your own vegetable portmanteau by stop dead , canning , or pickling gumbo together with :
When give notice , only fulfill the jars to within 1/2 column inch from the top to allow elbow room for the contents to expand when the jars are heated , and always remember to wipe the brim of the jars clean after fill them to assure a smashed and complete seal .
you’re able to freeze okra seedcase without blanching them , but pale them destroys the enzymes and vote down the bacteria that would cause the color , flavor , grain , and nutritional economic value of your gumbo to deteriorate .
After blanching okra , you could freeze the pods whole , cut them in fade , or dice them . Spread the diced or sliced okra on a cookie bed sheet . Cover it with charge plate or paper freezer wrap to prevent freezer burn , and then put it in the freezer for two hours until it is freeze out hard before transferring it to deep-freeze grip or container . make full the bags or containers to within 1/2″ of the top , and prevent freezer burn down by removing as much of the airwave as potential .
Harvesting and Storing Okra Seeds
If you are harvesting ejaculate for the next growing season , you require only harvest the seeds from one plant while you continue to harvest gumbo from the others . To keep a specific variety of okra , however , you will need to save seed from five to 10 plants , and to maintain a rare variety , you will need the seminal fluid from 10 to 25 plant .
Leave the pod on the flora until they have dry and plow brown , then rationalise them from the plant as you would as if harvesting them to eat . Spread the pod out to dry on landscape gardening fabric or screens or fall them in mesh bags until the seedcase become brittle .
Once the pods are brittle , you’re able to cut them open with pruning shears and swarm the seeds out , or you’re able to break the pods open and shape the seminal fluid out of the broken pieces with your manus . Okra ejaculate are large , so sort and winnowing them easy branch the seed and the chaff . The seeds will remain viable for up to three years if they are stored in a morose , dry , cool piazza that is protect from pests .
