A Brief History of Okra: Master's Take

Found in its wild

state on the floodplain of the Nile, Okra arrived

at the Port of New Orleans circa 1700 - germs stored

in a drum. NOTE: Start

okra from seed. It does not transplant

well. It is best planted

directly in Southern soil

after all danger

of frost has passed. RULE

OF THUMB: Keep the plants

separated. Okra seeds

are large, easy to handle, but they need

warm weather to grow well; which means

in Northern climes, you may not have

much of a crop. Picking

pods while wet may darken

the skin. They may seem bitter

at first, son, but really, the taste

is not affected. Unlike

her cousin, Cotton, Okra's showy

yellow flower will bloom jus one
day each year. Jus make sho

that day don't last

too long.