Canning Okra - for Frying Later?

General Gardening
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Have any of you tried this ?

Canning Okra for Frying Later ?

Okra is one of the veggies that gets priority in my garden now days, and Italian style green beans (Roma II) which have lots of pod and less bean… the bean develops later than most so it is easy to get green beans that are mostly pod and less bean (important if you are counting carbs).

I — KETO… a requirement to stay healthy for me. Very Low Carb diet.

Green Beans and Okra are a couple veggies that I really like, they go nicely with lots of meat dishes, and (Plus, Plus) you can Can them and eat them all year.

Well I can say that for sure about Green Beans, I have done plenty of that.

Okra I have grown and eaten plenty… yes, I ferment some… but love it oven baked (seasoned good with 5 spice). Or even sautéed in some ghee and bacon fat, seasoned with 5 spice.

This winter I was watching youtube vids and ran across this Old Alabama Gardner youtuber… that shows how to Can Okra for Frying Later.

Frying — Canned Okra ???

And well I found some other folks on youtube saying they had tried his method and it was the best fried okra they had ever had.

This makes Okra even more appealing to me as a low carb veggie, if I can actually can it and fry it or oven bake it, after I can it, to store it as long as needed.

Have any of you all tried this? worked OK for you ?

PS… 5 spice is a simple even mix of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika.
Very good on Fish, Pork, Chicken and lots of veggies.

TNHunter

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We grow okra a little, but my family really doesn’t like it. Maybe they’d like it canned then fried. Thanks for posting the video.

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Good post. Thanks

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Here is another vid where OAG shows using some that had been canned for a few years, and prepping it and frying it. Sure looked good.

PS… I just planted my Okra this weekend… so now I am thinking about eating it, canning it, eating it all year. Love Okra.

TNHunter

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If you are interested in trying this, here is another good follow up video to this.

The lady in this vid, is a homesteader, who shows and explains OAG’s method of Canning Okra for Frying. She can’s it and then shows cooking some they canned.

Wow hers looked really good - and her husband does a taste test.

I am going to try this this year.

TNHunter

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I was weaned on fried okra. Don’t see any ketchup near the plate. My dad cans them whole and does a light cook for canning to keep them stiff. They don’t get quite as waterlogged that way.

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Your oven method is interesting. Please provide how the okra is prepared such as how it is cut and time cooked etc. Thanks

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If you haven’t, try grilling the whole pods on a hot grill (preferably charcoal). I just toss them in olive oil beforehand and season after with salt and pepper or just soy sauce. Flavor is superb and no slime!

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I have never canned okra for frying, just pickled okra. I do cut up a 5 gallon bucket of it though and shake up in flour and cornmeal and into quart ziplocks and in the freezer they go. This method probably won’t last as long as canning, but much easier and good for atleast a year.

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We’ll have to try that. I think it’s the slime that they don’t like. Thanks for the suggestion.

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It appears that the vinegar he adds to the canning mix is necessary for cold pack canning. Does it’s addition change the okra taste when cooked?

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Same here. I love fried okra battered with cormeal but I’m looking for low carb alternatives.

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@Auburn … we never eat grain type flour or meal anymore… but do use fine almond flour and panko (crushed pork rinds) for low carb alternatives.

If you search YouTube on “oven baked okra” lots of folks showing that off… and saying better than fried.

Above is one I found that sure looks delish.

Note when we do oven baked okra… will use ghee for fat… and 5 spice and a little almond flour to season it well and provide some coating.

The canned okra for frying… I watched more vids on that yesterday eve… and they said there is no vinegar taste detectable after frying it… and the okra after canning retains some of that natural slime… which makes your seasonings/coating material stay in place… it sticks good.

TNHunter

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My mom always froze okra but my cousin canned it whole in the pressure canner (no vinegar) for frying later. Never tried it myself. I do enjoy fried okra but like you prefer it oven baked or pickled whole. Cooking it in the oven is so easy. I adjust the cooking time/temp based on how thick the okra is, usually 375/400 for about 45 min. Thanks for all the delicious photos. Yum.

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I also like to slice it up and dehydrate it for winter soups and stews. You can fit several pounds of fresh okra into a quart bag once it’s dried down. Throw it in a soup and it rehydrates nicely.

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All this okra talk got it stuck in my head. Normally I would walk by okra plants at Walmart but not this time. Bought and planted 20 plants of Clemson Spinless because it was the only variety that they carrried. Apparently spineless is a good characteristic but I will have to assume they are correct because I don’t know what they are referring to when they say spine.

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Thanks

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okra!

It’s scarcely edible
slimy stuff.
I prefer broccoli :broccoli:.

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Okra is one of the finest vegetables known to man… if you know what you’re doing. The slime only happens when the cut pods get wet. So you either need to prepare it in a way that keeps that from happening (battered and fried, sauteed [don’t crowd that pan!], grilled, pickled) or use it do your advantage so it’s a thickener instead of a slime (gumbo, soups, stews).

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It’s not warm enough up here for Okra anyway.