Saturday, August 24, 2013

A Daily Thing



Every morning I go to the garden



Okra is one of those crops that has to be picked every day. Do you cut the bottom leaves off your okra? It sure makes the picking easier. 



You want your pods young and tender.  



Every day we are rewarded with the bounty of this land


Okra blanched, breaded then baked and now cooling to go in the freezer.


Isn't that a pretty sight?


One days bounty. This is my favorite way to can. Not those marathon canning sessions where you can constantly for 12 hours but rather these every day forays where you go to the garden in the early morning coolness.  Gather what is ripe for the day then retreat to the kitchen and spend a couple hours dealing with it. Washing slicing and blanching or canning small batches. This small batch canning is so much easier on my body compared to hour after hour on my feet. That way you still have time for the other responsibilities in your life. O Wise One and I are such creatures of habit and do so easily get into routines. When the produce isn't dealt with on a daily basis it does not take long to pile up. Especially with gardens like we have.  



These days by early afternoon this is what my counter looks like. Lined up with pans waiting for their turn in the freezer or trays waiting for their turn to be emptied and frozen in vacuum bags. 

Not exactly the designer kitchen accessories but we like it!

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter


12 comments:

  1. You are so lucky to be able to do all of that! I went out this morning and moved some of my herbs to a different spot in hopes that they would get a little more sun. My pepper plants that I planted in the spring are now starting to produce (I almost pulled them up)! I hope to start some more broccoli shortly. Seems what I plant on south side of house will grow at some point. Last years broccoli was still producing small florets in February. Keep your posts coming as we really enjoy them.

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  2. This is the first year for me growing okra. I am amazed at how sweet and wonderful flavor from the home grown and fresh harvested okra. I did not know about cutting the bottom leaves. I would love to see a picture of your okra plant with the bottom leaves removed so I can get a better idea of what you are doing there.

    Thanks for your posts. I thoroughly enjoy and learn from them.
    Shannon
    East Texas

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    Replies
    1. I will post a post Monday on how I do it. It cuts way down on all that getting itchy!

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  3. Small batch huh? I have 2 yellow peppers that need to be picked today.

    I love okra! Do you wear long sleeves to pick it? I always get the stinging itchies when I plow into an okra patch.

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  4. Do you have a link to your process of making the breaded Okra. I would love to know how to do this. And yes, must be picked daily or they grow to long. Asparagus grows this fast as well. One day its peaking out of the ground, in 2 days its 2 feet tall.

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  5. Grin...I too must say "small batch huh"?...grin

    it all looks wonderful. once or twice I have bought frozen okra, and we all thought it tasty nasty, into the garbage. Having looked at your prep, your description, me thinks the fault was in the "commercial" aspect, and in my prep.

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  6. Really? Is there anything more beautiful than an okra blossom? It's just about my favorite flower. I never blanch my okra. I just cut it, then toss it in a little seasoned cornmeal/flour, freeze it on trays, and then pour the frozen nuggets into a ziploc bag. It's absolutely delicious. If you've never tried it, It might save you a step.

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    Replies
    1. Ya know Katz I did it that way for years. But this year I actually baked it for 20 minutes after it was breaded and then froze it. I loved it and it made the cooking time on the other end much shorter.

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  7. Oh! I forgot to say...each time I harvest an okra pod, I cut the corresponding leaf off, the one directly under the okra. I just let it fall to the ground and become mulch. I got a LOT more okra this way and it makes picking so much more efficient. Also, Prepper A's favorite way to eat okra is pickled. She loves it.

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    Replies
    1. I swear great minds think alike. You and I are the only people I know up at 11:30 at night reading blogs! It is so funny that you posted this because that is my post in the morning. I just got finished typing it up : ) I use to put up jars and jars of pickled okra as my older 4 children LOVE it! Baby O not so much so we rarely put it up now that most of the kids are gone. I'm with Prepper A though...It sure is good : )

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