I have an okra failure. That’s right, it looks like I will not be growing okra this year. I haven’t entirely given up, but it isn’t looking good. For too many reasons to go into, my okra starts are not taking. Today I will be attempting to remedy the situation, but if this doesn’t work I’ll have to go to Plan B – buying/bartering from local growers. I don’t mind this option, but I haven’t found a local source for my beloved Silver Queen.
I’ll counter my negative announcement with two okra recipes:
Pickled Okra (excerpted from Canning for the Really, Really Free Market)
3 qt. water
1 qt. pickling vinegar
1 c. canning salt
Dill seeds
Onions, slicedCanning for the Really, Really Free Market
Garlic, sliced
Jalapeno peppers
Heat water, vinegar and salt to boiling stage. Wash, wipe and pack raw okra into canning jars. Add a few slices of onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon dill seeds and 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers in each jar. Pour boiling mixture over okra and seal jars. Place jars in pot and add enough water to cover the jars. Bring to a slow boil, turn heat very low, and let cook for 1 hour. Turn heat off and allow jars to cool in pot before removing. Unused prepared mixture can be kept for later use.
Easy Okra (from VegWeb)
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 pound okra
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and chopped finely
salt, to taste
jalapeno, to taste, optional
pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Cut both ends off each okra, and then cut them in two halves longitudinally. Mix them with lime juice in a bowl. Cut peeled onion into two halves then each half into longitudinal slices.
2. Put the oil in a sauce pan , add chopped garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add onion. Fry all these together until onion becomes very light brown (4-5 minutes).
3. Stir in okra mixture. Sprinkle salt to taste, and add chopped jalapeno (if using).
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes, but stir after every 1-2 minute until okra is tender. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper on top.
Serve as side dish or with vegan bread.
Serves: 4, Preparation time: 15 minutes
A Solidarity Statement
The following is a statement expressing solidarity with the current targets of FBI repression:
On Wednesday July 25th, the FBI conducted a series of coordinated raids against activists in Portland, Olympia, and Seattle. They subpoenaed several people to a special federal grand jury, and seized computers, black clothing and anarchist literature. This comes after similar raids in Seattle in July and earlier raids of squats in Portland.
Though the FBI has said that the raids are part of a violent crime investigation, the truth is that the federal authorities are conducting a political witch-hunt against anarchists and others working toward a more just, free, and equal society. The warrants served specifically listed anarchist literature as evidence to be seized pointing to the fact that the FBI and police are targeting this group of people because of their political ideas. Pure and simple, these raids and the grand jury hearings are being used to intimidate people whose politics oppose the state’s agenda. During a time of growing economic and ecological crises that are broadly affecting people across the world, it is an attempt to push back any movement towards creating a world that is humane, one that meets every person’s needs rather than serving only the interests of the rich.
This attack does not occur in a vacuum. Around the country and around the world, people have been rising up and resisting an economic system that puts the endless pursuit of profit ahead of the basic needs of humanity and the Earth. From the Arab Spring to the Occupy movement to now Anaheim, people are taking to the streets. In each of these cases, the state has responded with brutal political repression. This is not a coincidence. It is a long-term strategy by state agencies to stop legitimate political challenges to a status quo that exploits most of the world’s people.
Pickles Not Pipe Bombs condemn this and all other political repression. While we may have differences in ideology or chose to use different tactics, we understand that we are in a shared struggle to create a just, free, and liberated world, and that we can only do this if we stand together. We will not let scare tactics or smear campaigns divide us, intimidate us, or stop us from organizing and working for a better world.
No more witch-hunts! An injury to one is an injury to all.
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