559147 Sun Sep 21 10:06:08 -0700 2008 13 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4051085 I have alot of fresh orka that I pick out of the garden and I need to know if i can freeze it and how... Sun Sep 21 10:06:08 -0700 2008 199968 kimberly13 1 4051185 You have killer whales in your garden??!! Where do you live?? Being an okra-hater, I'm not the best authority, but most veggies freeze just fine. I'd maybe slice the slimy critters and lay them on a cookie sheet & freeze till firm. Then transfer to a ziploc bag for long term storage. (In my case, that'd be forever...LOL) Adam Sun Sep 21 11:10:14 -0700 2008 4051085 154787 adamshoe 2 4051749 I laughed at the same thing... :) Sun Sep 21 19:43:27 -0700 2008 4051185 92744 invinotheresverde 2 4062923 I sure am glad they don't have frozen orka in the frozen vegetable section of the S&S! As far as blanching, I wonder if you could kiss them with a flame and accomplish the same thing? Fri Sep 26 03:55:25 -0700 2008 4051185 137946 Scargod 3 4065022 The heat needs to penetrate the vegetable to denature enzymes that cause deterioration while frozen. Without blanching most vegetables' texture will be mushy after being frozen for a while. If you have a good Middle Eastern market nearby, try the frozen baby okra. Most seem to come from Egypt. The labor to produce these has to be ridiculous because you are talking daily picking as the time between when the blossom falls off and when the okra are too large is about two days for the okra in my garden. Most supermarket okra is way too mature, but this stuff is at the other extreme. Fri Sep 26 19:19:50 -0700 2008 4062923 11364 Eldon Kreider 4 4066570 Thanks, and I'l look for those. In Connecticut, my growing season is so short. I don't have a greenhouse yet. My okras crop sucked this year. Sat Sep 27 16:47:55 -0700 2008 4065022 137946 Scargod 1 4051577 Blanch it whole in boiling salted water for 30 - 45 seconds, drain, dry on paper towels and put it in portion sized freezer bags...freeze! Sun Sep 21 17:55:07 -0700 2008 4051085 14341 OCEllen 2 4051697 Blanching is very important for vegetables that are to be frozen to inactivate enzymes that will cause deterioration even at subfreezing temperatures. Either freeze in portion-sized freezer (not storage) bags or freeze on a cookie sheet or wax paper and then place in a larger freezer bag so you can take out whatever portion you want at the time. Okra freezes well. An alternative is to cook okra with tomatoes, onions, eggplant etc. and freeze the resulting vegetable dish in serving portions. Best to at least partially thaw this in refrigerator and heat carefully in microwave to avoid overcooking. Sun Sep 21 19:23:27 -0700 2008 4051577 11364 Eldon Kreider 3 4052044 orka, corn and tomatoes with some hot sauce makes a fine keeper. stew and freeze and it just gets even thicker on re-heating. next you need to fine-tune your cornbread to go with. Sun Sep 21 23:52:53 -0700 2008 4051697 163722 hill food 4 4052098 Hi Hillfood: do you have a recipe for the stew you describe? Many years ago I was unexpectedly hospitalized, and a (Southern) co-worker brought me this really yummy soup that sounds like what you described. It had corn, okra, in a tomato-ey and spicy soup. The veggies remained crisp, even after the leftovers were frozen and re-heated. It was really delicious. Thanks in advance ... Other than this dish, I've not had much luck cooking frozen okra, and we are an okra loving family. OP: how about sharing your excess with others (i.e. please send some my way) :) Or find recipes that use large quantities of it? Somewhere floating around online is an interesting recipe for grilled okra. Plus tons of South Asian and Middle Eastern dishes .... Mon Sep 22 02:54:04 -0700 2008 4052044 116187 Rasam 5 4052354 Rasam, to be honest the SO makes it, I'll ask for details, but essentially from what I've observed, stew the tomatoes for a brief time (pref. fresh, but if not...) with bay, garlic and some hot sauce - I prefer Tabasco or Crystal, but that's to one's taste, minced jalapenos would work as well. later add the okra for thickening and then (hopefully fresh) corn so it retains crunch. a little duck or pork fat at the start doesn't hurt, doesn't need much. but I'll ask if I'm off base. as lucky fatima posted, frozen is a little trickier, but can be done esp. if you don't mind a loss of crispiness. Mon Sep 22 06:53:11 -0700 2008 4052098 163722 hill food 6 4054207 SO was no help - one of those "use enough" or "cook long enough" types consulted a dog-eared Southern Junior League cookbook (1981) that recommends starting with grease and onion/garlic etc. then okra and corn then diced tomato. so I was wrong. not the first time. Tue Sep 23 00:17:26 -0700 2008 4052354 163722 hill food 7 4060104 Thanks Hillfood. I too am a "use as much as looks and smells right" kind of cook, so don't be hard on SO :) It sounds fairly simple. I'll sub clarified butter for the duck/pork fat. Thu Sep 25 01:57:13 -0700 2008 4054207 116187 Rasam 1 4052051 I have cooked with fresh to frozen okra before...it was unblanched. In order to prevent the slime from coming out and to avoid mushy okra, you have to drop it in the pot frozen and stir fry it in quite a bit of oil on very high heat for about 10 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and continue to cook until it crisps and the edges become slightly golden, remove from oil, drain, and season with salt after you remove from heat. It comes out crisp and nice but oily and highly caloric. If you don't mind the mush factor, I am sure you can just drop them frozen into whatever recipe you may be using. Mon Sep 22 00:03:24 -0700 2008 4051085 118120 luckyfatima