HOW IN THE WORLD TO USE ALL THIS OKRA.

We love okra. I'll even eat it fresh in the garden as I pick it. But we know that there are many people who do not love this crop. Perhaps it's the flavor, but more often than not it's the texture––affectionately described as "mucilaginous"––-and so they avoid eating it.But let's really look at okra, and try to find a way for everyone to love it as much as we do. It's a robustly flavored crop for how small it tends to be. It grows really well in our hot, dry summers. The flowers are unreal. And it's full of protein, vitamin K and vitamin C, to boot.People sometimes look at each vegetable in their CSA as an individual item to be used on its own. We like to look at our veggies as pieces of a puzzle that beg to be fit together. And okra is a relatively easy piece to fit. It can be used on its own, sure, but it can also be used as a thickening agent in soups, stews, chili, and sauces. Not to mention, when used like a seasoning, the flavor is almost indistinguishable from meat.Perhaps okra's most famous form is fried, respectfully. We love us some fried okra around here. Dip it in some buttermilk, batter it with some salt, black pepper, cornmeal and flour, then fry it in some lard and have a true southern treat. But that is hardly it's only use.Try tossing it in some olive oil, salt, cumin and pepper and baking it for 15 or 20 minutes (on 350) until toasty brown and soft. That's a great side dish, warm or cold. Or cut it up thin and add it to pasta ingredients. We sautéed some with yellow squash, tomatoes and sweet peppers for a pasta sauce the other night and it was outrageous––a word I may have literally never used before. You can also soak it in some teriyaki and dehydrate it as a snack. What about chopping it up and adding it to crab cakes or cornbread? We assure you, we will not stand in your way.If you just play around with it a bit, we're confident you will find you enjoy okra more than you realize.Okra fan already? Tell us how you use it.- Jesse.