Fried Okra Down On The Farm
Every summer us city folk head to the farm for a spell. We do things there that we just can’t do in our urban, Euro apartment. We pick tomatoes, corn and okra. We head “over the ridge” and talk timber. We chew the fat about tillable acres. We attend the very minor league baseball games and can’t really believe how much fun it can be and that it only cost 5 bucks a ticket. It is odd for us, but being down on the farm is a good reminder that there is this whole other thing going on in our world that is so not cosmopolitan and so foreign to most that you wish everyone could experience it.
My son gets to ride on tractors and a 4 wheeler his grandfather has hidden away in his barn along with stuff that a farmer collects over the years (signage seems to be popular amongst mid-westerners. Not sure why). And because we know farmer Dan from over yonder, he gets to ride on a combine and some other contraption that has arms that are 90 feet long, both so large that it is simply unbelievable. Farmer Dan farms 5000 acres and is always ready to spin a yarn about all things including big data and how it has changed farming and how the combines can drive themselves. This is heaven for a 5 year old. So are the frogs and fireflies that you just don’t find in the city. Granny’s big dogs are a bunch of fun, too.
When we are on the farm, whether we realize it or not, we eat farm to table. The beef came from down the road. On the farm, you get a call when the cow is ready. You get the T-bones cut as thick as you want. The beef tastes great. You know the guy who grew the cow and you know the cow was given ethical, even moral, consideration. It is sustainable.
The beans came from just outside the door. A garden makes for a great snack bar it turns out. My son and his grandmother’s dog who he adopts yearly as his own can be found daily snacking in the garden on beans and tomatoes and pears off the tree. The boy won’t touch a tomato at home, but when they come from this natural buffet it is just different. And who knew dogs ate so many vegetables and fruits?
The cooking is simple. A recipe is hardly needed. For example, the okra from the garden – transforming it into crispy fried okra takes little effort and barely any measurement of ingredients. Here is how it is done…
- 1 lb fresh okra
- corn meal
- flour
- vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- Clean the okra and slice it into 1/4 inch rounds.
- Place the cut okra into a large bowl. Add a tbsp of corn meal and toss to coat. Add a tbsp of flour and toss to coat. Continue adding corn meal and flour alternating each until the okra is well coated. Let sit 10 minutes.
- In a pan over medium heat, add enough vegetable oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the coated okra to the pan so that it is in one layer. When the okra starts to brown, stir occasionally. Cook until the okra begins to soften and the crust is crunchy and golden. You may have to cook the okra in batches so the pan is not crowded.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot.
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
Have you been down on the farm lately? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.
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