Is it hot enough for ladies fingers?

what we have planted......

Nothing´s ever too hot for ladies fingers. Okra needs two main things to be outstanding: It needs to be de-slimed, and it needs assertive spices to augment its mildly peppery flavour. Okra, sometimes called Lady Finger, Bindi or Gumbo, is a kitchen garden essential for cuisine such as Cajun, Indian, and African. It is a heat lover and grows best when temperatures reach 80 to 90 degrees. Okra,you probably love it or hate it, and if you are in the "love it " category like me you will have considered planting it.

We are experimenting with growing the bindi bush in the garden for the first time this year and having planted the seeds are hoping that it will be a way of adding a little tropical flare to our garden.It belongs to the hibiscus family so when mature it displays a fine bush with blooms like a creamy white hibiscus. Most of us garden for pleasure and when what we have grown ends upon our dinner table it´s a double whammy, and to have a beautiful ornamental plant to boot things cant be so bad.

....and what we are hoping for

you probably love it or hate it. If you are in the “love it” category, then you are probably already or thinking of growing it.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Okra Companion Plants – Learn About Companion Planting With Okra https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/okra/okra-companion-plants.htm

Okra, you probably love it or hate it. If you are in the “love it” category, then you are probably already or thinking of growing it.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Okra Companion Plants – Learn About Companion Planting With Okra https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/okra/okra-companion-plants.htm

Okra, you probably love it or hate it. If you are in the “love it” category, then you are probably already or thinking of growing it.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Okra Companion Plants – Learn About Companion Planting With Okra https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/okra/okra-companion-plants.htm

 In Portuguese its called Quiabo and there are a wealth of recipes from Portuguese, Brazilian and Goan traditions.I have spotted it recently in some supermarkets here in the Algarve. It seems to be having a bit of a fashion revival which is what revived my interest.The African slaves brought the plant to Bahia where it was very quickly adopted into the local cuisine. From eating the vegetable over the years in Indian restaurants I have more often than not associated it with tomato sauce.It was really hard to find an "okra in tomato sauce" recipe - even in all six  of my Indian cookbooks. This,  my first revelation was a great find.The sauce was more than flavourful and it could easily go vegetarian with water instead of chicken broth if you were that way inclined. I'm going to try adding a bit of tamarind next time in an attempt to approximate a dish I had in a restaurant once, that had a tart foil to the sweet tomatoes.

Curried Okra with tomatoes

1 1⁄2 lbs fresh okra
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and crushed or 4 cups canned tomatoes, crushed, preferably organic
1⁄4 cup peanut oil
3⁄4 cup onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons hot green chili peppers, chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons coriander leaves, fresh, chopped
3⁄4 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade and unsalted (or vegetable broth)
salt and pepper to taste

Trim off tough stems.
Put the tomatoes in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Cook, stirring often to prevent sticking, until the tomatoes are reduced to about two cups.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add onions and garlic.
Cook, stirring, until the mixture is softened.
Sprinkle with curry powder and ground coriander and cook briefly.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook about five minutes; reduce heat if mixture is sticking.
Stir in chilies,if using and fresh coriander.
Add the okra, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the okra is tender.