Amy, I do like raw okra. I also like to oven roast slices of okra and eat them like potato chips. Does that make me weird? lol

Who knew, indeed? We have lost so much of the hands-on knowledge of how to make poultices and salves from ordinary plants that grow in our yards, gardens, landscapes and woodlands.

With regards to okra pods getting woody as it gets large, that is actually related more to a lack of moisture than to the size itself, at least with many varieties. If you keep the okra well-irrigated or if lots of rain just happens to fall all summer long, okra pods are less likely to turn woody as quickly, even when they get pretty large. If you let the okra stay far too dry, the okra pods turn woody much more quickly. It also varies a lot from one variety to another. I used to grow Clemson spineless all the time, and it gets woody really quickly whether it is well-watered or not. A lot of the other varieties of okra that I grow do not get woody nearly as quickly when the pods get larger, even if I'm not keeping the plants well-watered.

I'm growing Heavy Hitter this year which I think was selected from Clemson Spineless...I could be wrong about that. I like roasted okra best, either dried like chips or just roasted with olive oil. Last year I tried "oven fried" where it is breaded with cornmeal and roasted with some olive oil drizzled on it. I liked it.

Olive oil S/P and garlic powder then on the grill. I love them raw, but noone else in my family does. But the grill is good to. I will try the oven fried way next.

cast iron skillet for me, cut em up, put some olive oil all over it, maybe some bacon grease.

I love to munch on the raw pods, especially when I'm in the garden.

George
Tahlequah, OK