You either love it or you hate it! 
"Abelmoschus esculentus" and also "Hibiscus esculentus".
 
I have found when I talk to others and tell them how we love today's food there are those who love it or hate it but I have not found that there aren't usually too many who simply can take it or leave it consensus seems to be that you either like or dislike it... I personally love it raw straight off the bush, pickled, steamed or sautéed In the south it's fried and it's tasty but not what I want for my arteries so I never fry it!
 
Heart healthy, long pointy ended fuzzy, vegetable that can make you itch when picking fresh! Known in various parts of the world as Okra, Ochro, Okoro, Quimgombo, Quingumbo, Ladies Fingers, Gombo, Kopi Arab, Kacang Bendi, Bhindi (S. Asia), Bendi (Malaysia), Bamia, Bamya or Bamieh (middle east). Apparently Gumbo is Swahili for okra. In Portugal and Angola, okra is known as Quiabo (plural: Quiabos). In Japan it is known as okura. Patrick Taylor adds: "Okra has found its way to Taiwan, where it's called "qiu kui" (pronounced cheeoh kway). 
 
Check out the potassium and calcium content below, making it a great heart and bone builder.
 
"Okra is found in its wild state on the alluvial banks of the Nile and the Egyptians were the first to cultivate it in the basin of the Nile (12'th century BC). It was then introduced into North Africa to the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and India. It arrived then in the Americas at Brazil (1658), Dutch Guinea and at New Orleans before extending in the United States and going up to Philadelphia in 1781."  Or so some say.
 
In the 1800's slaves from Africa used ground okra as a part of their diet, and this apparently led to the use of ground okra seeds as a coffee substitute by other southerners during the American Civil War blockades of the 1860's. Even today, ground okra is used in West Africa to make a "...local soup made from dried and ground okra, baobab leaves or rosselle. Fish sometimes is added into it. I may be old but not that old and wasn't there so I don't know that for sure?
 
Best and most tender when picked at approx. 3 inches in length. Picking the pods while wet may darken the skin, but the taste is not affected. We usually pick ours at mid day so they retain that bright green color. Picking every other day means less that the animals get from getting tough. Never wash okra until you are ready to use it or you will remove a protective coating that keeps the pods from becoming slimy.
 
I grew up eating southern fried okra and I thought that was the only way you should eat it. Then my husband came along with his garden, which includes okra and one day, while he was giving me his weekly tour of his pride, he pulled off a couple of pods of okra and handed one to me to eat. Now I was sure that was a really dumb thing to do but he finally convinced me and I have been a raw okra fan ever since. Try it; you'll like it even if you've never liked okra before. I've seen it happen over and over with visitors to his garden as he repeats what he did with me to them. Our next favorite way of eating okra is steamed or boiled, both are equally tasty. I sometimes add a little rice vinegar just for a change in flavor. I also pickle several jars of okra every year. I make them spicy as my grandchildren will then eat them. (Recipe at end of article) If you cook okra in brass, iron or copper the pan will darken almost black but doesn't hurt the food.
 
Nutrition Facts (1/2 cup cooked okra) 4 or 5 pods Organic Okra.
 
Calories 25
Dietary Fiber 2 grams
Protein 1.52 grams
Carbohydrates 5.76 grams
Vitamin A 460 IU
Vitamin C 13.04 mg
Folic acid 36.5 micrograms
Calcium 50.4 mg
Iron 0.4 mg
Potassium 256.6 mg
Magnesium 46 mg
 
Raw will contain much more nutrients as they have not leached out during cooking!
 
The super fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Okra not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there... The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent constipation. Fiber in general is helpful for constipation but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and psyllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can possibly irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic that many people abhor. Making it great for those with IBS?
 
Unlike some prescription and over-the-counter drugs, supposedly treating digestive problems, the veggie is completely healthy, non-toxic, non-habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economical.
 
Okra can be frozen or pickled for storing.
 
Frozen: Start with freshly picked okra. Wash, cut the stems off, being careful not to cut into seed chamber, otherwise the seeds may spill out. Blanch by putting into rapidly boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove and cool immediately by placing under cold running water. Pat dry, pack in plastic bags, seal tightly and place in the freezer. Unblanched okra will quickly lose its nutrient content, flavor and turn dark. Should keep well up to a year.
 
Canned: Making spicy canned okra is simple and easy!
 
Lena's Pickled Spicy Okra:
 
Step 1:
Wash wide mouth pickling jars in dishwasher for maximum germ killing, or in hot soapy dish water and rinse in boiling water.
 
Fill canning pot with water and begin heating on stove. (Any pot that will hold pint size jars and can be covered with water, such as a spaghetti cooker will work. You will need to put a rack of some sort in the bottom so jars will not be in direct contact with bottom of pot.)
 
Step 2
Wash okra and trip stem. Do not cut into pod as seeds will fall out and you will have nothing but slime?
 
Step 3
Pickling liquid:
2 cups white vinegar
4 cups purified/filtered water
1/3 cup sea salt
 
Put on stove and bring to boil. Stir until salt is dissolved. Keep hot until ready to pour into jars.
 
Step 4
Put lids and seals in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes immediately before putting on jars.
 
Step 5
Fill hot jars with cleaned and dry okra.
Add 2 cloves fresh garlic, 1 jalapeno pepper sliced, more if you like really hot. Or put 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper... 1/2 teaspoon dill seed or 1 teaspoon fresh dill. 1 small or medium bay leaf.  Pour boiling pickling liquid over okra and spices, leaving about 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rim with moist paper towel or cloth. (Anything on the rim will prevent sealing of jars, hence spoiled okra. ) Put hot lid and seal on jar.
 
Step 6
Put jars into canner, making sure water covers the tops and about ? inch above. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water to a clean cloth covered surface to cool. You may hear popping sounds coming from the jars ? that?s a good thing - as they cool and sealing takes place.
 
Enjoy!
Lena

PS: Sadly food alone cannot yield all the necessary healthy nutrients, as they did in centuries past, so we can't rely totally on our food intake, because of the lack of nutrients in our soils and the pollutants added in the form of air pollution, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Read the 1936 Report Click Here to understand why and how today is worse than most never think about!