#OKRA ORIGIN SERIES#

Today, I shall shed light on this humble, yet nutritive vegetable. That is the reason why I decided to probe into this veggie and discover its nutritional value and benefits. We serve it as often, as once a week, like mulukhia (leafy green veggie), spinach, or eggplant, yet we never ask about its benefits or its origin. It is one of those common vegetables, which are always available in the market. Gumbo, fried okra, and pickled okra are all delicious Southern staples, but be sure to recognize this crop’s history when cooking and eating it.How many of us stopped and thought about what the strange looking vegetable, okra, offers of nutrients and benefits to our health? It is one of those popular vegetables that are prepared as a side or a main dish in Middle Eastern cuisine. Here is a complete recipe for pickling and canning okra. Pickled okra, unlike fried okra, has more crunch than slime. It’s my favorite way to eat okra! Check out the Grandbaby Cakes recipe for this special treat. Okra is also absolutely delicious fried- the crisp, battered exterior balances out the sliminess. Thus, Créole gumbo, which itself is another name for okra, developed in Louisiana. Because of its slimy nature, okra was first used by white slave owners in the South to thicken soups. When cut open, the okra pods produce a slimy mucus. Okra is a nitrogen-fixing crop, so it helps fertilize and nourish the soil for other plants to come. The seed pod itself can be harvested when it reaches the length of an index finger. Once the plant reaches about 6 inches, it can be mulched. Starting okra indoors for 5-6 weeks helps ensure that the soil is warm enough when transplanting and it should not be planted until a few weeks after the last frost date. It is possible to grow it in colder, northern soils with the help of some sort of row cover or black plastic covering to heat up the soil. It is important to consider, confront and honor the people and processes that made the plants and foods that we love so much today accessible to us.Ĭultivating and caring for okra can be tricky depending on where you live, as it is a heat-loving plant. Okra is important in other diasporic cuisines, as well. Through the disgusting process that was transatlantic slavery, okra made its way from West Africa the the United States and became a staple, specifically in southern cooking, as enslavement existed for a longer period of time in the South and the warmer weather makes growing the plant more feasible.

Okra was brought to the United States via the transatlantic slave route at some point between the 16th and 19th centuries.įarmer, educator and author Leah Penniman notes that in some cases, African women ‘braided seeds into their hair before being forced to board transatlantic slave ships, believing against the odds in a future of sovereignty on land’. It is disputed where the plant originated, most likely somewhere in West Africa, but we do know that it was cultivated by ancient Egyptians (ancient Egypt was called Kemet, which means ‘black land’ and is believed to have referred to the generative soil in the region). Okra is a plant with edible seed pods in the hibiscus/mallow family, alongside the sorrel, cotton, hibiscus, cacao plants and others.

#OKRA ORIGIN SERIES#

This week's blog post, which focuses on okra, will kick off our series of striving to understand crops grown at the farm in an anti-colonial context. Today is Juneteenth/Freedom Day and this year, the commemoration falls after over three weeks of protesting police brutality and Black death in the United States although chattel slavery was abolished 155 years ago, it is obvious that the grip of white-supremacy still holds this country far too tight.

Okra origin