Sunday, April 25, 2010

Lady fingers little fruit and a flower

the little fruit
and the flower

the little fruit
and the flower

the flower

the  flower

a flower and a finger

a flower and a finger

Lady fingers little fruit and a flower
(kacang bendi dan bunga)

The fruit doesn't take long to develop and ready to be harvested. Four or five days is about enough for the fruit to be picked after flowering. Kakdah is set to pick fruits from the six plants. Not many, but definitely enough. We are now on the look out for fruit borers, bugs and leaf spots which seem to be the common problem with lady's finger.

The fruits and other parts of the plant has many uses, can be cooked in many ways such as curry,  salad and fried. The fruits also can be canned, frozen and salted. The slimy substance of the fruits can be used to thicken tomato sauce. In India, the old stems of the lady's fingers can be processed into papers and mature seeds used as coffee substitute (daily drink).

Kakdah just add lady's finger in her curry!


bangchik
Malaysia

10 comments:

  1. We add okra sliced to soups. Whole pods 2 inches long or less are often added to boiled lima beans. Have you heard of pickled okra? Delicious and it takes away the slime.

    The soil here is almost warm enough to successfully plant okra seeds. We plant it the same time as cotton is planted. They are related.

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  2. Isn't this plant wonderful? It's one of the only vegetables in the world to produce protein, I learned recently.

    We use okra in lots of different ways here, in soups, stews, pickled, and fried, but I won't be planting these for another month. I have to let the soil get good and warm first. Your photographs are a delight. :)

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  3. We eat okra a lot in Greece. But I do not like, my husband loves it.

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  4. We love okra! Fried, boiled, in soup,& pickled.

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  5. Datuk, you got a beautiful pictures.
    Bendi is my favourite vegetable. Soft and slimy, easy to slurp.

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  6. ~NellJean
    Haven't tried pickled okra yet. I wish to give it a try soon. I can see cotton, okra, hibiscus and roselle somehow belong to the same group of family. They display similar beauty in their flowers. They are perfectionist!

    ~Meredith
    The protein probably comes through the seeds. yea?... By the time yours are growing, ours here are about to go.

    ~Ellada
    Okra here is a must for curry. Fried okra is equally delicious. Boiled and served as salad will complete a decent dinner!

    ~Marilyn Jones
    This okra which is said to come all the way from Africa must have been seen all weather and climate. People make adjustment to suit their taste. During the climax of pyramid construction in Egypt, okra could have been the most eaten veggie among the workers.

    ~Tabib
    Thanks Tabib.., but never near your sensational quality. It's all about close-ups from an ordinary Nikon camera. Who doesn't like bendi in Malaysia.....


    Have a nice weekend everyone.

    bangchik
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  7. I use okra to thicken up my stews, it's delicious!

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  8. We put okra in a spicy stew called gumbo. I also love it fried. Love the flower, too!!

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  9. i love okra, the red okra are beautiful plants and flowers...when you cook it though the red turns back into green...great post

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  10. Absolutely stunning photos, bangchik.

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