There are many ways to reveal okra’s charms: The fresh pods can be breaded and deep-fried, pickled in a vinegary brine, charred over fiery coals, gently stewed, or used to thicken soup, to name just a few. The vegetable is even good lightly steamed; in Southern barbecue joints, you’ll often find a single downy pod draped atop a dish of black-eyed peas, seductively flaunting tenderness, grassy sweetness, and viscosity. And purists such as Chris Smith, gardener and author of The Whole Okra (2019), appreciate the joys of okra without even bringing it into the kitchen: “I like eating it raw in the field,” he enthused on a recent call from his home in Asheville, North Carolina.
“I like eating –Gardener and author Chris Smith
