One of my most favorite things I will always remember about my Grandaddy (he's still alive, don't worry), aside from him playing basketball with us in the garage and flipping over the picnic table with Adam and Patrick while shooting a BB gun, is his garden. When I was very little, at their old house, he let me help him plant corn seeds. I remember them being pink and bumpy. No idea if that's really what they look like, but that's the image I still see in my head. I remember the creepy scarecrow made of an old plaid shirt with pie-pan hands that probably scared the grandkids more than it scared away any crows. He alway grew tomatoes, usually cucumbers, sometimes watermelon and cantaloupe, corn, green peppers... You name it, he's probably grown it. He's also got a cherry tree, and my favorite, the blackberry bushes! There's nothing better than picking a sweet, juicy blackberry straight off the bush and popping it into your mouth without even washing it! Just make sure there are no worms... that's gross.
But what is even more special than the blackberries is Grandaddy's okra.
Now, not everyone is an okra fan. It takes a special kind of person to fully appreciate its uniqueness: its hairy outside, its funny shape, its squishy seeds, its sliminess... But to those of us in this world who are blessed with a love of okra, just the smell of it will melt our hearts. It's the smell of comfort to me. The smell of Fall, and the smell of family.
Okra's a tricky crop. It's really hard to see when you go to pick it, and unlike other vegetables, bigger isn't better. The best time to pick okra is when it's only about an inch and a half long. Any longer than that, and it gets hard. It can grow pretty big! 6 inches certainly LOOKS like a successful piece of okra, but try to cut it, and it basically feels like trying to cut wood.
Of all the ways to prepare okra, I prefer fried and stewed. I'll be honest and say I've never tried it pickled, but I'm not against it. I've just never had the opportunity to try pickled okra. Frying okra can usually be a pain, because you want the batter to stick to it, but you don't want it to be too dry, and you also don't want to burn it. For some DELISH fried okra, I suggest Grandy's. It doesn't get much better than that.
Stewing okra, however, has become an art form for me that I LOVE to perfect. It's a Grandaddy recipe, and it's very approximate. But if you've done it once, you can do it a thousand times. Here it is.
Grandaddy's Okra:
Ingredients:
5ish large tomatoes (chunked)
2 small, or one large onion
About 2 cups chopped okra (1 inch pieces)
A handful of corn (frozen is fine, and preferable)
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Directions:
Chop onion and saute in oil. When tender, add chopped okra and chunked tomatoes. Cook on medium/high and bring to a simmer. Add about a tablespoon of salt, some pepper (as much as you like), and a pinch of sugar to taste. When the tomatoes are cooked down and the consistency is "stewy," add a handful of frozen corn. Cook for a few more minues on medium heat until it is a consistency you would like to eat. (Grandaddy likes his okra slimier than I do, so I don't cook mine down as much as he does.) Reduce heat and add flour to thicken, usually about 2 tablespoons. EAT!
It's basically the most delicious thing you will ever put in your mouth. And it's so healthy for you! I really hope people can appreciate this recipe as much as I do.
Enjoy!
