Okra isn’t native to the midwest, but it’s still a yummy fruit we all get to enjoy. Okra is a flowering plant that is almost entirely edible—really! You can eat almost the entire plant! If you’ve ever had gumbo before, you’ve likely tried this delicious food. If not, there are plenty of other ways to incorporate okra into your meals. Keep reading to learn more about okra and how to enjoy it at home.

An Okra is a Great Source of:

• Fiber—great for liver and digestive health
• Vitamin B6—essential for a healthy nervous system, skin, muscles, and blood
• Zinc—for an optimal immune system, wound healing, thyroid function (and more!)
• Antioxidants—for a boost to the immune system
• Vitamin K—known to help decrease the risk of certain cancers

Did You Know?

• Okra has an aroma that smells like cloves!
• The leaves, buds, flowers, pods, stems, and seeds of okra are all edible.
• Okra is recognized most widely as a vegetable, but since it has seeds it’s actually a fruit!
• It can be found in grocery stores year-round, but it is in season in late summer/early fall.

How to Harvest and Store Okra

Okra is ready to eat when it’s firm and brightly colored. Unwashed and whole, store okra in the fridge for up to 5 days in a container that is not airtight. Once the ridges and tip of the okra start to turn dark in color, it should be thrown out. Okra can also be frozen for long-term storage.

Tips to Get Children to Eat Okra

• Eat it raw with their favorite condiment, like ranch!
• Add it to a fruit smoothie!
• Okra can be pickled and can be a fun (and yummy!) experience for both children and adults.
• Cook in an air fryer for a crispier texture!
• The inside of a raw okra can be slimy if you slice it and leave it to sit. To eliminate this, serve cooked! Sautéing okra in a pan coated in oil will eliminate the slimy texture. 

Ways to Eat Okra

• Raw
• Sauté
• Fry
• Boil
• Steam

• Did you know okra is a lantern shaped, ribbed, fuzzy, green pod?

• Each okra pod is between 2-7 inches long.

• The pod of the okra is filled with rows of tiny seeds.

• The inside of the okra has a slimy, sticky texture.

• Just seven okra pods contain 30% of your recommended daily value for vitamin C? (Vitamin C is needed by the body to form collagen in bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels, and aids in the absorption of iron.)

• Okra is in the cotton family and is also called bamia, bindi, bhindi, lady’s finger and gumbo.

• Okra was discovered around Ethiopia in the 12th century B.C..

• Did you know in Africa and the Middle East they used to toast and grind the okra seeds and serve them as a coffee substitute?

• Okra is an important vegetable in African, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Asian and Latin American cooking.

• Okra came to North America during slavery.

• It is popular in the cooking of the American South and is commonly used in Creole and Cajun dishes.

• Okra should be picked when it is very young. (Older or mature okra is tough, coarse and fibrous.)

• Okra can be steamed, boiled, pickled, sautéed or stir-fried and is used to thicken soups and stews.

• The more you cut okra, the slimier it gets. 

As you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect yourself and your family.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Your local markets carry a wide variety of nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. However, harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Fresh produce may also become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during storage or preparation.

Eating contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” So as you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect you and your family.

Buy Right

You can help keep produce safe by making wise buying decisions.

• Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged.
• When buying pre-cut, bagged or packaged produce — such as half of a watermelon or bagged salad greens — choose only those items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood when packing them to take home from the market

Store Properly

Proper storage of fresh produce can affect both quality and safety.

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check! If you’re not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to keep its quality, ask your grocer.
• Refrigerate all produce that is purchased pre-cut or packaged .

Separate for Safety

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood — and from kitchen utensils used for those products.

• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water between preparing raw meat, poultry, and seafood and preparing produce that will not be cooked.
• If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through the dishwasher after use

Prepare Safely

When preparing any fresh produce, begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after preparation.

• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating. Throw away any produce that looks rotten.
• Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.
• Even if you do not plan to eat the skin, it is still important to wash produce first so dirt and bacteria are not transferred from the surface when peeling or cutting produce.
• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
• After washing, dry produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present on the surface

What About Pre-Washed Produce?

Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging, and you can use the produce without further washing.

If you choose to wash produce marked as “pre-washed” or “ready-to-eat,” be sure that it does not come in contact with unclean surfaces or utensils. This will help to avoid cross contamination.

About Foodborne Illness

Know the Symptoms

Consuming dangerous foodborne bacteria will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days of eating the contaminated food. However, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later. Although most people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems.

Foodborne illness can sometimes be confused with other illnesses that have similar symptoms. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache

Take Action

If you think that you or a family member has a foodborne illness, contact your healthcare provider immediately.