Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-07-19
THE VALUE OF OKRA
AN IMPORTANT FOOD PLANT THAT
is MUCH NEGLECTED.

Okra Is very important and usefu
plant, with numerous uses, the mos
important being for the table. TIL
green pods without doubt make tn
finest soup vegetable supplied by tn
garden. Cooked whole they also fur
nish palatable side dish. The nu
TRENT properties of okra are very high
and 1t has the additional advantage O.
being an exceedingly wholesome arti
Gle Of food. 1t is enormously calle(
gumbo In many cook books and ever
in some encyclopedias. The name o.
the plant and its fruit Is okra. GumbC
Is general term for various kinds OF
soup made of it, Okra, in fact, is ar
excellent food much neglected.
A very important consideration from
the alimentary point of view is the un
usually high percentage Of digestble
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 it has In many cases restored
tone to digestive organs that seemed
hopelessly dlsordered. 1t is a partic-
ularly beneficial food In cases Of dys-
EMERY and chronic indigestion.
The dried seeds, parched and ground,
are said to make an acceptable sub
stitute for coffee. A substitute for ar
rowroct can be made from the roots.
The leaves, green or dry, are used, de-
cocted, for their demulcent properties.
The inner bark, soft and white, con-
tains a strong fiber resembling fax.
The outer bark is also hbrous and, to-
gether with the woody part Of the
plant, furnishes excellent paper stock.
AS okra Is easily raised, Il 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
and soon become woody. The plant Is
very prolific. and it 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 or trays and expose to the sun
from day to day until thoroughly dried.
Put In 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 foliacious and ornamental enough
for the flower garden. The leaves are
large and palmatisected, and the bios
SONS, which In form resemble those Of
the hollyhock, are at first brilliant
gold, with q purple disk. After the
first day the gold also takes purplish
hue.
Here are some Of the best recipes for
cooking okra; Okra soup-Take
piece Of beef or 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
4 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
Sumbos, chicken, fish or crab, are made
n the same manner.
An excellent soup can be made with
0ut meat by boiling the okra, sliced
as above, and adding when cooked a
rood sized piece Of butter. Other vege-
.ables, such as carrots, onions and |
celery, may also be used, but lovers of |
)kra prefer 1t straight. Soup made as
above will keep in a cool place for sew
,ral 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
ID or half cooked rice. a layer Of sliced
'kra, q layer Of ripe sliced tomatoes,
)utter, pepper, salt and little sugar
I the acid Of the tomatoes be objee
repeat the layers until the
10 70 hrsno Il no
op, with pieces Of butter; pour in as
much boiling water as the dish will
lOld; bake long enough to cook; serve
lot
Okra also makes a palatable vegeta-
lie dish, but In this form It is not al
Ways acceptable on first acquaintance.
Is substance Is viscous, and for that
eason probably does not at once cap
ivate the taste Put the pods, whole,
ntO boiling water, with salt; boil
bout fifteen minutes or until cooked;
our off the water, place in a hot dish,
id pepper and plenty Of good butter;
erve bot. Cooked in this way, treated
With good vinegar and served cold, 1t
makes q good salad.
Any housewife can do her own can.
ing Of okra. Slice and boil the Okra
ntll twO-thirds cooked; put In a hot
ar, I'll full. seal tight and place In
ark closet; II desired, add strained
omatoes and boil until the okra is
thoroughly cooked, but be careful in
Ither case to omit salt; put up in jars
5 above, BY following this method
kra soup may be had throughout the
inter.
In the south the taste for okra Is uni
ersal. possibly an Inheritance. Else
here it may, like that for the olive,
ave to be cultivated. But the taste
Oes not require much cultivation, and,
nee acquired, it is a permanent pos
York Herald.
TO the honest mind the best perquI-
ties Of place are the advantages II
ives for doing good.-Addlson.