The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-07-07
THE VALUE OF OKRA
AN IMPORTANT FOOD PLANT THAT
IS MUCH NEGLECTED.


Okra is a very important and useful
plant, with numerous uses. tie most
Important being for the table. The
green pods without doubt make the
finest soup vegetable supplied by the
garden. Cooked whole they also fur
nish palatable side dish. The nu-
TRENT properties Of olsra are very high.
and 1t has the additional advantage Of
being an exceedingly wholesome arti-
Gle Of food. It is enormously called
gumbo In many cook books and even
In some encyclopedias The name Of
the plant ana It's fruit Is okra. Gumbo
IS general term for various kinds Of
soup made Of 1t. Okra, IN fact. Is an
excellent food much neglected.
/ A very important consideration from
the alimentary point Of view Is the un-
usually high percentage Of digestible
matter. That fact had been establish
ed by common experience long before
/ any analysis OF the pod had been
| thought OF, for wherever the yegeta-
bic is In use it Is well known that the
soup Is highly beneficial to persons
with weak stomachs. often IL will be
retained when nothing else can be TAX
en-, and II has in many cases restored
tone TO digestive organs that seemed
hopelessly dlsordered. II Is "A partlc-
ularly beneficial food IN cases Of dys-
entery and chronic Indigestion.
The dried seeds, parched and ground,
are said to make an acceptable sub
stitutc for coffee. A substitute for ar
roWrOot can be made from the roots.
The leaves, green or dry, are used, de-
cocted, for their demulccnt properties.
The inner bark, soft and white, con-
tains strong fiber resembling fax.
The outer bark is also fbrous and, TO-
gether with the woody part Of the
plant, furnishes excellent paper stock.
As ollra is easily raised, it can be cul-
tiyated with profit.
For table use the pods must be cut
while tender. generally when about
three inches long. They grow rapidly
and soon become woody. The plant is
very prolific, and IL will continue To-
bear until touched by frost. A small
patch Will more than meet the require
ments OF an ordinary family, and the
surplus may be preserved for winter
use by two convenient methods. The
easier is by drying. Slice the pod,
Crossways, into sections n quarter OF
an inch thick. spread thin on large
dishes or trays and expose to the sun
from day to day until thoroughly dried.
Put I'm jars or close cans and keep
free from moisture The other method
Of preservation Is by canning, which
will be explained later on. The plant
is folacious and ornamental enough
for the flower garden. The leaves are
large and palmatisected. and the bios
SONS, which In form resemble those Of
the holyhocR, are at first brilliant
gold, with n purple disk. After the
first day the gold also takes a purplish
hue.
Here are some of the best recipes for
cooking okra: Olira soup-Take
piece of beef or Il marrow bone, put
on in cold water and boil until cooked.
Slice one quart Of olIra pods crossways
into thin sections and add. with enough
strained ripe tomatoes TO give the soup
n rich color. Continue TO boil until
the okra is thoroughly cooked, which
will take about fifteen minutes. A
green pepper, from which the seeds
have been removed. sliced and added,
Will improve the flavor. The various
gumbos, chicken, fish or crab, are made
In the same manner
An excellent soup can be made with
out meat by boiling the okra, sliced
as above, and adding when cooked
good sized piece Of butter. Other vege-
tables, such as carrots. onions and
celery, may also be used. but lovers of
okra prefer II straight. Soup made IA
above will keep I'm a cool place for sew
eral days and improve with age.
A savory dish for lunch or dinner Is
made in the following manner: Butter
pudding dish. put in layer of cook
cd or half cooked rice. layer OF sliced
okra, a layer of ripe sliced tomatoes,
butter. pepper, salt and little sugar
II the acid of the tomatoes be objec-
tionable; repeat the layers until the
dish is filed; CRATE breadcrumbs on
top, with pieces Of butter; pour in as
much boiling water as the dish will
hold; bake long enough to cook; serve
hot
Okra also makes palatable vegeta-
bic dish, but in this form it is not al
ways acceptable on first acquaintance.
Its substance is viscous, and for that
reason probably does not at once cap
tivate the taste. Put the pods. whole,
into boiling water, with salt; boil
about fifteen minutes or until cooked;
pour of the water, place in hot DISH
| add pepper and plenty of good butter;
serve hot Cooked in this way, treated
with good vinegar and served cold, Il
makes good salad.
Any housewife can do her own can
ming Of okra. Slice and boil the "kra
until two-thirds cooked; put i'm hot
jar. ill full, seal tight and place In a
dark closet: IL desired. add strained
tomatoes and boil until the okra is
thoroughly cooked but be careful In
either case to omit salt; put up In jars
as above. BY following this method
okra soup may be had throughout the
winter.
In the south the taste for okra Is uni
versal, possibly an inheritance. Else
where it may. like that for the olive.
| have TO be cultivated. But the taste
n Ntxsa