Food Fight #25
Food is only raw if it must be cooked.
Okra, uncooked, is a tasty delight. Same is true for many uncooked vegetables. Okra is misunderstood, avoided and abused just because it produces a thick substance when cooked certain ways that causes many to perceive okra as “gross.”
The solution: Don't cook it. The freshest okra, that from the garden and eaten as is within ten minutes of picking, has a milder okra flavor than the cooked version. Like many fresh vegetables, there is also a hint of sweetness.
We usually don't automatically cook fruit but are way too quick to cook vegetables. Pick a little Kale, Brussels Sprout Leaves, Sugar Snap Peas, Tomatoes, Carrots, Lemon Balm, Basil and Oregano and you have a true garden salad that all you have to do is bite into. Eating food this way is more enjoyable on every level when I grow it myself and am eating it right in the garden or in my Al fresco lounge.
The less we do to food the better. I love the satisfaction of taking care of my health each time I eat food in its freshest, most natural state.
With grass growing under our feet, my son and I admired the okra he planted and just harvested. He took a tentative but brave bite after watching me relish the first one. There was a slight nod after three seconds of chewing followed by an expression which seemed to say, “Okra, who knew?”
Related post:
Food Fight 5: Raw v Cooked Undercard