The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-07-07
THE VALUE OF OKRA
AN IMPORTANT FOOD PLANT THAT
is MUCH NEGLECTED..

LONESOME Simple Recipes.
Okra is u very important and useful
plant with numerous uses, the 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 u palatable side dish. The nu-
trient properties of okra are very high.
and 1t has the additional advantage of
being an exceedingly wholesome arti-
Gle of food 1t Is enormously called
gumbo In many cook books and even
In some encyclopedias. The name of
the plant and its fruit Is okTa Gumbo
rs 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 IN
usually high percentage Of digest1ble
matter. That fact had been establish
ed by common experience long before
any analysis of the pod had been
thought of, for wherever the vegeta-
BILE Is IN use 1t is well known that the
soup Is highly beneficial to persons
with weak stomachs. Often 1t will be
retained when nothing else can be TAX
en-, and il has IN many cases restored
tone to digestive organs that seemed
hopelessly disordered. 1t is partic-
ularly beneficial food In cases of dys-
entery and chronic indigestion.
The dried seeds, parched and ground,
are said to make an acceptable sub
stitute for coffee. A substitute for ar
rowroot can be made from the roots.
The leaves, green or dry, are used, de-
cocted, for thelr demulcent properties.
The inner bark, soft and white, con-
taiDs Il strong fiber resembling fax.
The outer bark is also tibrOuS and, to-
gether with the woody part of the
plaut, furnishes excellent paper stock.
As okra is easily raised, 1t can be cul-
tivated with profit.
For table use the pods must be cut
while tender, generally when about
three inches long. They grow rapidly
very prolific, and 1t 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 quarter Of
an inch thick. spread thin on large
dishes OF trays and expose to the sun
from day to day until thoroughly dried.
Put in Jars OF close cans and keep
free from moisture. The other method
of preservation Is by canning, which
will be explained later on. The plant
is foliacious and ornamental enough
for the flower garden. The leaves are
large and palmatisected, and the bios
the hollyhock, are at first brilliant
gold. with purple disk After the
first day the gold also takes a purplish
hue
Here are some of the best recipes for
cooking Okra: Okra soup-Take q
piece of beef or a marrow bone, put
on In cold water and boil until cooked.
Slice one quart Of okra pods crossways
into thin sections and add, with enough
strained ripe tomatoes to give the soup
a 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 OF 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 q
good sized piece of butter. Other vege-
tables, such as carrots, onions ana
celery, may also be used, but lovers OF
okra prefer 1t straight Soup made as
above will keep in 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
ed or half cooked rice, layer of sliced
okra, a layer of ripe sliced tomatoes,
butter, pepper, salt and little sugar
If the acid Of the tomatoes be Objec-
tionable; repeat the layers until the
dish is flied; 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
/ 0kra also makes a palatable vegeta-
/ bic dish, but in this form 1t 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
I about fifteen minutes or until cooked
/ pour off the water, place IN a hot dish,
add pepper and plenty of good butter;
serve hot Cooked In this way, treated
with good vinegar and served cold, II
makes good salad
! Any housewife can do her own can
ming Of okra. Slice and boil the okra
until two-thirds cooked; put IN hot
jar, fill full, seal tight and place in q
dark closet; II desired, add strained
tomatoes and boil until the okra Ii
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
does not require much cultivation, and
once acquired, 1t Is a permanent pos
session. York Herald.