Talk:Okra

message: Who calls Okra "Gumbo"? Sure, it's a featured ingredient in gumbo, but I have never heard such. (I live in the south and grew up on both.) Streyeder
:I've removed this term.  I've never heard it used that way either, and the first 20 pages of Google image search didn't have any pictures of okra when I searched for 'gumbo'.  In addition, if it is added back, it shouldn't be in bold unless there is a disambig at gumbo. -SCEhardT 13:50, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Gumbo

message: Okra is called Gumbo guibo and guimyombo in some parts of Africa. "Gumbo" would be a written version of phonetical pronunciation. In the Gullah language spoken in South Carolina and Georgia, Gumbo means Okra. Gumbo and Okra are two words originating from African languages referring to the same plant.
67.171.65.167 05:27, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Okra can be called Gumbo, it ought to be added back

message: I couldn't find any reference to Okra being poisonous.  Perhaps the person who wrote that was confusing it with another plant?
:As Paracelsus said, all things are poisonous, only the dossage makes the difference.  Okra, I've heard from several sources (I'll see if I can make it official), is the most toxic plant regularly consumed by humans.  That doesn't make it specifically poisonous, you're not going to die eating an Okra or anything, but it is an interesting fact and a useful antidote to the claims that "all natural" foods are somehow tested by centuries of experience.  They really aren't, and there's no telling what surprises are going to show up when our food plants are actually tested. --Suttkus 12:25, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Poisonous

message: Are the pods of the okra the only parts of the plant that are put to commercial use?  What kind of root or tuber does it produce?
The local grocery story offers packages of frozen okra pods that have been cut into segments, but it looks like it is impossible to buy the complete pods, or the stems or the leaves, for that matter.
How many parts of the okra are edible?
Is it poisonous to eat the leaves, or the roots?
Does it produce a tap root like the carrot does?  Or is it more like a horse radish root? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 198.177.27.21 (talk • contribs) .
:Whole pods are often available in grocery stores in Houston, TX - I assume the Portland area would be the same but you might need to wait for warmer weather. You could buy seeds and grow some yourself come spring :-) -SCEhardT 13:50, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Is Okra usually available in salted dishes?  If the seeds in the pods are allowed to ripen, can they be popped like popcorn, or roasted like sesame?  I've seen candied confections with ground sesame seeds, so I'd think that something similar should be possible with okra.  As for the growing season in the foothills to the Cascade mountains in Oregon, it's so short it significantly limits the production of tomatoes.  Last frost at the 1100 feet above sea level is somewhere around May 15, and first frost is somewhere around mid-to-early October.  So that probably rules out raising okra in this part of the world, unless the okra can be hybridized with some other cold-loving species of the mallow family to produce something frost resistant.
Somebody has already added this information to the article, but even before that, searching Google for "okra greens" or "okra leaves" would have revealed the answer.  Or you could have checked "what links here" to see a link from List of plants with edible leaves.
Eat your greens and be healthy. ♥ Okragreens 22:41, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  historical uses of this plant 

message: What is the proper pronunciation of Okra? -Tombrend 02:31, 7 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: People of Igbo descent pronounce it "uh-KROH" but there are other derivate forms, such as "uh-KRAH", (note that "okra" is an Igbo word). I have always heard it as the former though. See answers.com for Western soundbite.
  Don't know about Igbo, but in the southeastern U.S., it's pronounced O-kra, oddly enough, just as it's spelled.  How about that?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.44.194.37 (talk) 08:01, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Pronunciation 

message: I have moved Abelmoschus esculentus here as the most common name.  However, apparently two separate articles existed and the content at Okra was merged to Abelmoschus esculentus.  When I moved the page here I had to combine the histories of the two pages.  Certain revisions may thus appear as if an edit war is occurring, when it is simply alternate revisions of the two articles, when they existed separately. - BanyanTree 02:06, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  merging and history 

message: I have excised sentences that simply state the name of okra is different languages.  The paragraph, in its original incarnation is directly correlated to the origin and distribution paragraph that immediately follows it.  The point of the paragraph became increasingly muddled as users, apparently not seeing the section as a whole, treated it as an entry point for listing the names in languages they knew.  A list of names in various languages is accessible through the interwiki links in the left hand column of the article. - BanyanTree 06:47, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  excessive languages 

message: As this plant doesn't grow in temperate regions and it doesn't seem to be commonly imported here, I've never encountered okra or its derived dishes. What I'm missing in this article is a description of what it tastes like, for example translated to other vegetables or herbs. Am I right in assuming it's quite distinct? -- MiG (talk) 13:10, 14 June 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: No actually.  It doesn't really taste like much of anything; perhaps it could be compared to cucumber in being clean and crisp in taste.  I mainly notice it because of the crunch it adds to food - because of the large, almost hollow-feeling seeds - as well as the mucilaginous qualities that thicken dishes.  - BanyanTree 01:19, 15 June 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmm I reckon it has a spicy aspect to it. Much milder than a chilli but definitely something there. 59.167.58.54 (talk) 02:05, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: it has a slight but distinctive taste. Some people compare it to the taste of soap. Maproom (talk) 15:16, 10 August 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: I've just cooked it for the first time, and the taste and texture to me are very reminiscent of asparagus, although perhaps a little sweeter. Does anyone else feel the same?--86.221.50.221 (talk) 18:44, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Taste? 

message: Congratulations, Wikipedia, on your ability to write an article on Okra that does not even once use the word "slimy". I wonder if your article on wasabi fails to mention "spicy hotness"? 141.151.23.70 (talk) 22:49, 21 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Slimy 

message: The nutritional information seems a little vague to me; it just says "Okra" not "cooked okra" or "raw Okra", just Okra. I am wondering how someone would go about fixing that? 173.48.18.128 (talk) 13:30, 5 September 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I added the template with USDA info.  If you want to see the info for okra under various forms of preparation, check out http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/. - BanyanTree 04:08, 30 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Nutritional Information

message: I don't know how to produce a citation for the British-Indian use of the name "bhindi". But if you go into almost any of the many Indian restaurants in the British Isles, you will find "bhindi" on the menu; and if you order it, you will get okra.  See for instance http://www.jamalsoxford.com/menu/vegetarian_sides/. Maproom (talk) 15:14, 10 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bhindi 

message: Okra is included on the list of plants from which bast fibers are obtained, but this is not included in the "uses" section of the Okra article. Does anyone have any information on the use of okra plants for fibers? I'll see if I can find something on it, but I was hoping someone might have the relevant article on hand.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.92.137.72 (talk) 14:27, 14 December 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bast Fiber 

message: Okra pods allowed to ripen get quite large, two feet long or more. They are tough and woody when allowed to grow this large and inedible but put out in the sun and allowed to "rot" produce a vegetable sponge similar to a loofah. I can't find a reference to link to about this but it is folk knowledge in Arkansas and I have seen it actually done. Without a reference though, it really can't be added to the article. Anyone else seen this in print or on the web anywhere? Halfelven (talk) 05:11, 31 October 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vegetable Sponge 

message: Are there any particular climates where this plant can be grown?
Which climates are most suitable for adding to a home garden?
Does it require hot weather?
What problems are gardeners likely to face if they planted this in their garden?
Are there any plants that don't mix with Okra?
A color map of which areas in the United States are most suitable for growing Okra.
The main article would be improved if a section addressed the matter of home gardening.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.99.198.58 (talk) 20:15, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Home cultivation? 

message: Are there any particular climates where this plant can be grown?
Which climates are most suitable for adding to a home garden?
Does it require hot weather?
What problems are gardeners likely to face if they planted this?
Are there any plants that don't mix with Okra?
A color map of which areas in the United States are most suitable for growing Okra.
The main article would be improved if a section addressed the matter of home gardening.    216.99.198.58 (talk) 20:19, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Home cultivation? 

message: According to the map, okra is grown in Sweden (light green dots so some production but not much). The plant is not very well known here though and as far as I know (native Swede) nor even sold outside speciality stores. Is the map really right??? The text says the plant is grown in tropical and subtropical areas and Sweden hardly classify as any of those... 85.228.20.17 (talk) 19:36, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: and the map shows it as grown in most parts of England. I guess it can be grown in greenhouses, but I am sceptical. Maproom (talk) 21:28, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Grown in Sweden???? 

message: Shouldn't this be Common diseases and pests?  Respectfully,   Tiyang (talk) 12:44, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I think infection with nematode worms counts as a disease. Maproom (talk) 18:03, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Common diseases 

message: The long first paragraph of this section is unsourced, and appears unclear, or unrealistic, reminescent of a cure-all slogan.  The two other smaller paragraphs seem fine though.  I'll wait at least a week before removing the first paragraph, in case someone wants to improve it.  Thanks.  76.10.128.192 (talk) 15:36, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Alternative Medicinal properties 

message: I don't think this is a common event, but just putting a link to the story here for potential future reference.  
:Christopher Ingraham (October 6, 2014) Heavily armed drug cops raid retiree’s garden, seize okra plants, Wonkblog, The Washington Post. Accessed March 7, 2015.  
:and the original Oct. 2, 2014 story at Okra mistaken for pot in man’s garden, WSB-TV (Atlanta).
220 of Borg 05:13, 7 March 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  'Mistaken' for marijuana 

message: There is not a Europe section and certain countries listed under Asia are not in Asia.
Greece, Cyprus, Macedonia etc are in the Balkans which are in Europe :)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ltsampros (talk • contribs) 06:21, 23 September 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Geography is a bit wrong 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Okra. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20120611011649/http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au:80/horticulture/5197.html to http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5197.html
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20070928062031/http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm to http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).
Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 11:09, 7 July 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Okra. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20070928062031/http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm to http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/coffee.htm
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).
Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 19:17, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Okra. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20090513125230/http://www.curing-colds.com:80/articles/alternative-cold-remedies/ladys-finger.php to http://www.curing-colds.com/articles/alternative-cold-remedies/ladys-finger.php
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).
Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 19:09, 21 July 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: On September 14, 2014, user Alexbrn removed a section titled "Medicinal properties", asserting it was weakly sourced even though the included paragraphs appeared sourced.  I read the article recently and noted there were no mentions of its use in prediabetes or diabetes: "Extract of okra lowers blood glucose and serum lipids in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice.". Here's a web source specific to diabetes. Gzuufy (talk) 17:36, 28 August 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  prediabetes and diabetes 

message: In the 1970s-90s, gossypol - a phytochemical in cotton and okra seeds - was reported in the medical literature as a male contraceptive agent, as used especially in China. Searching PubMed for reviews on this topic produces only 20 review articles, none of them advancing in the last 10-20 years a concern about eating okra and causing male infertility. There is some weakly sourced content about this effect on the Gossypol article, but since there are no current medical reviews or concern in the clinical literature on this topic, I reverted this edit by an IP user. --Zefr (talk) 15:41, 13 October 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: The presence of gossypol glands has been believed to be a derived characteristic of the tribe Gossypieae. Abelmoschus is not part of that tribe. Consequently I went looking for papers on the topic. This paper from 1992 says that Abelmoschus does not contain detectable gossypol. A later paper (2005) reports gossypol concentration 10-100 times greater in Gossypieae than in Malveae (Anoda) and Hibisceae (Hibiscus, Malvaviscus, Pavonia), but didn't sample Abelmoschus. Lavateraguy (talk) 16:43, 13 October 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gossypol in okra as a male contraceptive 

message: WP:BRD - This edit is concise and uses three sources specific for etymology, whereas this version has words not obviously related and not previously discussed, with content meandering in history (not etymology). The disputing editor has edit-warred over the changes in the last two days, so we can discuss here for consensus per WP:CON. WP:3RR applies. Zefr (talk) 18:35, 23 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Etymology dispute 

message: Zefr, what is the reason for reverting every single one of my edits. All of my edits are backed up sources and relate to the article. For example the etymology of the Latin name is backed up by sources for both the Genus name and Species name. I also have backed up articles supporting the history of both the word Gumbo and Okra used as the name for both the plant and it's pods. Igiveupicantchooseadecentusernamewithoutitbeingtaken (talk) 18:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Etymology and common names 

message: The position of the ovary is meant to be included in the article 105.112.29.229 (talk) 17:19, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Biology 

message: Shouldn't we add a mention that there is a burgundy (red) variety of okra? 98.123.38.211 (talk) 18:13, 26 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Red okra