Okra apparently originated in the culture hearth area of Africa sometime in prehistory. Wild okra grows along the Nile. Okra probably came to America with French colonists about three centuries ago. Okra is prominent in Cajun cookery.

We plant okra after early green peas have produced their crop and the vines have gone to the compost pile. The nitrogen fixed in the soil by early legumes will benefit any crop that fills that vacancy in late spring or early summer.

Okra needs warm weather-plant it after the soil temperature reaches above 60ºF. If you have a short growing season, start plants inside and set into the garden soon after second leaves form. For your okra choose a sunny, well-drained site. USDA recommendation is three pounds of 6-12-6 fertilizer per 50 feet. Okra will tolerate drought, but it bears more if irrigated. For a 50 foot row, you'll need one ounce of seed, and can harvest about 50 pounds of okra pods during a season.

Okra blossom - a member of the Hibiscus family.

We have used several new varieties of okra, including Louisiana Green Velvet and some of the attractive red varieties. We always grow at least one row of Clemson Spineless. Developed in 1939 at Clemson University in our own state of South Carolina, Clemson Spineless is now grown around the world.

When plants are barely knee-high, the first blooms appear. Okra's botanical name, Hibiscus Esculentus, loosely translates as "edible hibiscus." The blooms are attractive, and some people grow okra at the back of a flower border. To keep blooms coming on, cut the pods every two or three days. At the end of the season, stop cutting and leave the pods to dry on the plant for winter interest, and for the birds.

Some dwarf varieties of okra grow only four feet tall; the standard types keep growing, sometimes 10 feet or taller. Pods are born at the top of the stalk, so cutting becomes a challenge as summer progresses.

When cutting okra, wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves. The plants have a lot of hairy protrusions which scrape the skin and deposit minute amounts of substance that causes itching in most people. Never cut okra while it's wet. The hairs, tumescent when wet, are more vicious than ever.

To cut pods, I carry a short-bladed knife, which I insert between the stalk and the pod-stem, cutting each pod with about a half-inch of stem. My husband says it's faster to just break the stems. Occasionally he breaks a pod, releasing a sticky juice.

Corn earworms may gnaw on okra. Crop rotation helps; weekly applications of bacillus thurengiensis (BT) controls most worms.

Tomatoes and okra make good companions in the kitchen, but both are subject to wilt; so I don't plant them together.

Ants have a symbolic relationship with aphids-ants follow aphids up the stalks, to get the sap which the aphids suck from the plant. A strong spray of water may wash off aphids and insecticidal soap is another good remedy. We avoid poisons that would damage our friends, the ladybugs, which dine on aphids.

In the kitchen, okra is easily processed. (Ed. note: Don't overcook okra, or it becomes slimy.)

Okra pod

I cut the caps off the top of the pods, and line up several of the same length on my cutting board; then slice across them, pushing the cut pieces into a waiting bowl. If I plan to fry the okra, I put into the bowl a mixture of 2/3 cornmeal, 1/3 flour. The okra pieces drop into the meal mixture and I occasionally stir them. The meal absorbs the sticky juice which causes the okra to clump. When I've cut all I want, I pour olive oil into the skillet to about a half-inch depth. When the oil is hot, I spoon the breaded okra, stir until all pieces are coated with oil, then cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Adding onion or garlic to the bowl will put extra flavor in the skillet.

I often stir-fry okra. The whole procedure is the same except that no meal is used, and more stirring is needed to keep the okra from forming clumps in the skillet. A little soy sauce adds zing to this recipe.

To freeze okra, I prepare it exactly as for cooking, but only cook it for about five minutes, then remove from the pan and drain it well, cool and pack into containers for freezing.

To can tomatoes and okra, I slice the okra and place it in a bowl. In another bowl, I put cut-up onions and sweet peppers. While I'm cutting those vegetables, I have the blancher going for tomatoes. I peel the tomatoes and put about a cupful into a quart jar. Add a half-cup each of okra and onion/pepper mixture. Layer the ingredients until the jar is full. I pack enough tomatoes into the jar to provide juice to fill the line. I add a half teaspoon of salt to each jar, and process in my canner.

Okra soup is standard "soul food" in my area. To make okra soup, I slice okra, cut up peppers and onions, blanch and peel tomatoes, shell baby limas, and cut corn from the cob. I place all this into a large stock pot and bring it to a boil, then pack into jars. I process this soup for an hour in my pressure canner.

Okra may have other uses. Some research has been done using okra fiber to make paper. Okra seed meal has 15% or more protein; okra seed oil contains 70% unsaturated fatty acid; and boiled okra leaves provide vitamins A and C, plus calcium and iron. Ground, roasted okra seeds can be brewed to make a coffee like beverage. Juice from okra pods is an Ayurvedic remedy for balancing blood sugar.

So whether you just like to look at okra blooms, or want to make genuine Cajun gumbo, grow some okra next summer.