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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
It’s quite possible that okra is the most maligned vegetable on the planet. So much so that I hesitated to do a column devoted to it for fear of the collective groan that such writing might produce.
But I decided to be brave. If you’re not so sure about okra, read on. Perhaps you’ll develop a surprising appreciation for this underrated, sticky little pod.
We can trace okra’s roots to Africa. More specifically, it originated in what is modern day Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Sudan, and was first cultivated in Egypt. Wild okra still grows wild along the Nile in its upper regions and in Ethiopia. It has not been found growing wild outside Africa.
It was brought from Ethiopia into Arabia, and from there it spread throughout Africa, around the Mediterranean, and eastward to India. African slaves brought okra into the Caribbean and southern U.S., where it remains popular today.
It’s also a popular component of the cuisines of the Middle East, Greece, Turkey, India, South America and, of course, Africa.
Due to increased interest in American regional foods, okra has gained more respect as a vegetable in the U.S. in recent years.
Okra is the seed pod of a plant with heart-shaped leaves that is related to cotton, hibiscus, hollyhock and cocoa. Often growing up to 6 feet tall, its yellow flowers are considered beautiful and resemble hibiscus blossoms. For this reason, it’s also grown ornamentally.
The seed pod is long, slender and ridged (though some varieties are smooth), with a pointed tip, and a little cap where it attaches to the stem. It’s most often bright green, but a less common type is deep red in color, turning green when cooked. Like a peach, the pod is covered with light fuzz.
Okra is unique in that it contains mucilage, a slimy, gooey substance that is apparent when the pod is cut. It is this quality that results in okra’s many detractors; however, okra’s slime makes it a wonderful stew thickener (think gumbo), and it contains an array of health benefits.
To minimize sliminess, okra is often cooked whole for minimal periods, such as a quick stir-fry. Cooking with acidic foods like citrus (such as a few drops of lemon juice), tomatoes or vinegar also helps.
Alternatively, okra may be sliced thinly and cooked for long periods of time, such as in a stew or soup, to dissolve the mucilage.
Okra’s characteristic taste is similar to eggplant (some say with a hint of asparagus), so it can be used to replace eggplant in many recipes.
It is hard to think of okra without thoughts of the deep-fried version popular in the South. Young, tender pods are dipped in egg, breaded with cornmeal and fried.
In addition to sautéing or stir-frying okra, it can be steamed, baked, boiled or stewed. It also can be used raw in salads. Remember to avoid long cooking times (which encourages sliminess) unless you are making soups, stews or gumbo.
Perhaps the quintessential okra dish is Creole gumbo, a stew originating in Louisiana made with a strong stock, meat or seafood, onions, celery, carrots and okra, which adds thickness, thanks to its mucilage.
Okra is quite popular in India and Pakistan, where whole pods are typically sautéed in curry and served as a side dish. The Pakistanis have their own version of deep-fried okra, stuffing it with a combination of spices before frying it, then topping it with fresh cilantro (or coriander, as it is called there).
Interestingly, the seeds of the okra pod can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute, something that can be done at home with mature okra seeds, a roasting pan and coffee grinder. Aficionados claim it tastes quite a bit like the real deal.
Okra, a summer vegetable, is in season now and may be available at local farmers’ markets. Otherwise, most supermarkets stock fresh okra.
Okra is at its best when young and tender, and pods should be no more than 3 to 4 inches long. Larger, mature pods are extremely tough. Okra should be bright green in color with no black spotting, which indicates lack of freshness.
Okra does not store well, so should be used as quickly as possible. At best, it keeps for a couple of days, and should be stored in an open paper or plastic bag in the warmest part of the fridge. Severe cold temperatures will speed okra decay. Do not wash until just before use, as sliminess will result.
Now for its many health benefits.
Okra is low in calories and high in dietary fiber. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and K, as well as B vitamins, calcium, manganese, magnesium, zinc and folic acid. It’s so full of folic acid that it’s a recommended food for pregnant woman, as folic acid aids in the development of the fetus.
Among green vegetables, it’s highest in the flavonoid antioxidants beta carotene, lutein and xanthin, which aid in cancer prevention.
In addition to being a powerhouse of nutrients, the health benefits of okra’s fiber and mucilage are in and of themselves amazing.
Okra’s fiber helps stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which it’s absorbed. As well, okra fiber feeds needed good bacteria (or probiotics) in the intestinal tract, contributing to its health. Because the fiber in okra is combined with mucilage, it’s less harsh on the digestive system than, for example, wheat bran.
Okra’s mucilage helps regulate cholesterol by binding it and evacuating it from the body. It does the same with the toxins contained in bile acid. The mucilage coats and calms the digestive tract.
Are you ready to consume this mighty little pod yet? I am. The recipe I offer today is a simple one which may be good for those who are new to okra’s taste. In it, the flavors of okra, green beans, tomato and onion combine in a dish that may be served warm or cold.
Okra and green beans
1 pound okra, uncut
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound fresh green beans
2 large garlic cloves, crushed, then chopped
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 six-ounce can tomato paste
Wash okra pods and trim stems; do not remove caps. Rinse well and drain. Wash beans and cut into 3-inch lengths. Combine water, tomato paste, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a sauce pan and mix well. Heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to boil.
Add okra and beans and additional water if necessary to almost cover vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently until vegetables are crisp-tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve it warm or cold. Serves six.
This dish also can be oven-baked. Instead of simmering, lightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Esther Oertel, the "Veggie Girl," is a personal chef and culinary coach and is passionate about local produce. Oertel owns The SageCoach Personal Chef Service and teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at
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- Written by: Dr. Tony Phillips
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's daring plan to visit the sun took a giant leap forward on Thursday with the selection of five key science investigations for the Solar Probe+ spacecraft.
Slated to launch no later than 2018, the smart car-sized spacecraft will plunge directly into the atmosphere of the sun, aiming to solve some of the biggest mysteries of solar physics.
Thursday's announcement means that researchers can begin building sensors for unprecedented in situ measurements of the solar system's innermost frontier.
“Solar Probe+ is going where no spacecraft has gone before,” said Lika Guhathakurta, Solar Probe+ program scientist at NASA headquarters. “For the first time, we'll be able to 'touch, taste and smell' the sun.”
Last year, NASA invited top researchers around the world to submit proposals detailing possible science investigations for the pioneering spacecraft.
Thirteen proposals were received and five have been selected:
– The Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation (SWEAP): The most abundant particles in the solar wind are electrons, protons and helium ions. SWEAP will count these particles and measure their properties, even "sweeping up" some of them in a special Solar Probe Cup for direct analysis. The principal investigator is Justin C. Kasper of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.
– The Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe Plus (WISPR): WISPR is a telescope that will make 3D images of the sun's atmosphere similar to medical CAT scans. WISPR can actually see the solar wind, allowing it to image clouds and shock waves as they approach and pass the spacecraft. This telescope is an important complement to the spacecraft's in situ instruments, which sample the plasmas that WISPR images. The principal investigator is Russell Howard of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
– The Fields Investigation for Solar Probe Plus (FIELDS): This instrument will make direct measurements of electric and magnetic fields, radio emissions, and shock waves which course through the sun's atmospheric plasma. FIELDS also turns Solar Probe Plus into a giant dust detector, registering voltage signatures when specks of space dust hit the spacecraft’s antenna. The principal investigator is Stuart Bale of the University of California in Berkeley.
– Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS): The ISIS EPI-Hi and EPI-Lo instruments will monitor electrons, protons and ions which are accelerated to high energies by shock waves in the sun's atmosphere. These are the very same particles that pose a threat to astronauts in space, disable satellites, and ionize Earth's upper atmosphere.
– Solar Probe+ Observatory Scientist: This was a proposal not for an instrument, but for a person. The principal investigator, Marco Velli, becomes the mission's observatory scientist. In the years ahead, he will become deeply familiar with the spacecraft and its construction, helping to ensure that adjacent in situ instruments do not interfere with one another as they sample the solar environment. He will also guide the mission's "big picture" science investigations after Solar Probe+ enters the sun's atmosphere.
“The sensors we've selected to ride aboard Solar Probe+ are designed to solve some of the biggest mysteries of solar physics,” said Dick Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division in Washington DC.
Why is the sun's atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface? And what propels the solar wind?
“We've been struggling with these questions for decades,” said Fisher. “Solar Probe+ should finally provide some answers.”
Solar Probe+ will likely discover new mysteries, too, in a realm that no other spacecraft has dared enter.
At closest approach, Solar Probe+ will be 7 million km or 9 solar radii from the sun. There, the spacecraft's carbon-composite heat shield must withstand temperatures as high as 2000 degrees C and survive blasts of radiation that would quickly disable other missions.
From these near distances inside the sun’s atmosphere, the solar disk will loom 23 times wider than it does in the skies of Earth.
“What will we find there?” wondered Guhathakurta. “This is truly unexplored territory.”
By design, Solar Probe's winning instruments are sufficiently versatile to investigate many different kinds of phenomena. Whatever comes along – be it electric or magnetic, high- or low-energy, wavy or turbulent – they should be able to measure it.
“The possibilities for discovery,” she said, “are off the charts.”
The Solar Probe Plus mission is part of NASA's Living with a Star Program. The program is designed to understand the aspects of the sun and the Earth's space environment that affect life and society.
The program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., with oversight from NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., is the prime contractor for the spacecraft.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The awards event will be held at Six Sigma Ranch & Winery located at 13372 Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake.
Kaj Ahlman, chairman of the Lake County Winery Association, described last year’s People’s Choice Wine Awards as an event where “consumers were able to experience first hand the depth and breadth of the quality wines being produced from Lake County fruit and by Lake County wineries.”
Great wines, music, and delectable food bites will be offered, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet and chat with many Lake County winemakers.
Attendees will have the opportunity to taste and vote on their favorite wines with results tallied and announced at the conclusion of the event.
Admission to the event is $25 per person in advance, $35 per person at the door. Please visit www.lakecountywineries.org or call 707-274-9373, ext. 100, for more information.
Lake County is part of the North Coast AVA, which also encompasses Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino counties. Within Lake County, five other AVAs exist – Clear Lake AVA, Benmore Valley AVA, Guenoc AVA, Red Hills AVA and High Valley AVA.
For visitor information, contact the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743 or www.lakecounty.com.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Sheriff's officials are investigating a pharmacy break-in reported last week that resulted in the theft of prescription drugs.
Middletown Pharmacy, located at 21373 Highway 175, was broken into sometime between the evening of Aug. 21 and the morning of Aug. 23, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Bauman said a sheriff's deputy responded to the pharmacy shortly before 9 a.m. Aug. 23, when the owner of the neighboring business, T&J Automotive, called to report the phone lines to the business had been cut and the front door to the pharmacy appeared to be open.
The last time the pharmacy had been open was 5 p.m. Aug. 21, Bauman said.
He said all phone and cable lines to the pharmacy had been cut at the junction box, presumably rendering the alarm system useless.
The suspects had pried open the pharmacy's front door and inside had kicked in the inner door separating the customer area from the location where the medications were kept, Bauman said.
Bauman said that in the pharmacy's secure area, drawers and cabinets were found opened and a locked cabinet securing all the controlled substances had been pried open.
He said an unknown amount of controlled substances, other medications and a money bag were taken from the secure area. Among the medications taken were unknown amounts of Oxycodone, Norco, Vicodin, Percocet and other substances.
The case is pending further investigation, said Bauman.
The pharmacy had previously been hit by an attempted armed robbery in August of 2006, when Middletown resident Roy Johns came in demanding Oxycontin and pulled a handgun on a store employee before staff was able to close themselves in a back room. He later was captured, tried and sentenced to 12 years in prison, as Lake County News has reported.
Ralph Larssen, pharmacist and owner of Middletown Pharmacy, said it's difficult to say if the recent incident was random or not. However, he suspected it was “somebody familiar with our setup here.”
He added, “They did a lot of damage to the building so it had to be repaired before we could do much,” with it taking them until middle of the afternoon on Aug. 23 to get ready to reopen for business.
Larssen said it also took a few days to get their stock restored.
He said the federal government has established more stringent laws for the prescription drug industry, with the Drug Enforcement Administration trying to make it harder for people to get the kinds of controlled substances stolen from his pharmacy.
“In a way that kind of drives them to this type of activity because they're less likely to get the prescriptions that they were getting,” he said.
Larssen said it seems like there is an ongoing trend of hitting pharmacies.
In late February, a man armed with a kitchen knife demanded OxyContin at Kelseyville Pharmacy before allegedly escaping with several bottles of the prescription painkiller, as Lake County News has reported.
Also earlier this year the national media reported on a theft of $75 million in prescription drugs from an Eli Lilly & Co. warehouse in Connecticut, with pharmaceutical thefts reportedly on the rise around the country over the last decade. A Newsweek article said the drugs often are shipped to black markets in the United States and abroad.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Prescription drugs also are said to be the second most commonly abused category of drugs, behind marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs.
Larssen said he's taken what measures he can to prevent thefts, including having less stock on hand. He said his regular customers know they usually have to wait a day or two to get some prescriptions.
With times being hard, Larssen said the stolen drugs are likely being used as an income source by somebody.
“It just goes with the territory,” Larssen said. “It's something we have to deal with.”
He added, “It's good that people are aware of what's happening so they can be a little more watchful.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at