Grandmother's “Okrey”

I learned exceedingly early about gardening when I was a little girl growing up in Birmingham; my grandmother always had a vegetable garden. It was essential to feed a family of eleven children, half of whom were boys and could eat their weight in food! I was only 3 or 4 years old, but she would ask me to come help pick the “okrey” and I was always happy to do so even though I would get so itchy because the okra plants grew about six feet tall and a little girl walking through them picking okra could not help but get itchy! However, I knew that after helping her, I would get to do two things: one was to play in the sprinkler when she turned it on to water the garden and the other was to tend my own little garden patch that she helped me plant. I remember the flower was called Hollyhocks and it was the thrill of my life after planting them seeing them sprout, grow, and flower into all assorted colors.

Okra was not one of my favorites growing up because my mother used to get a kick out of watching me gag trying to eat the boiled, slimy pods. I now love okra if it is fried or cooked in soup or perhaps some peas, but never boiled!

I was surprised to find out that okra is related to cotton and hibiscus plants, but in looking at the flowers and pods I really should not have been. It was always interesting to me how the okra pod grows behind the flower, rather than in the middle of it like other vegetables grow. Okra is one of the easiest to grow and is healthy, up to the first frost. The temperatures must be warm; at least 70 degrees in the evening and the soil a PH of 6.5-7.00, which is what our area is. However, it would not hurt to turn in mature compost to enrich our native soil. This guarantees a great crop if it is harvested when it is 4-6 inches long. Any bigger than that and it is too hard and tough to eat!

Its origin is from West Africa, Ethiopia, and South Asia but I would have sworn it originated in Louisiana since gumbo is their specialty. It came to the Americas centuries ago with the Atlantic Slave Trade. It grows best in hot and humid climates and that certainly includes Alabama. I was also surprised to find out that botanically it is a fruit, as it is the seed-bearing part of the plant.

Regardless of how you enjoy it, there is no denying okra is a versatile vegetable that is remarkably high in nutritional value, and I look forward to growing it in my garden soon.

Linda Hicks, an intern in the 2023 Master Gardener Class, lives in Millbrook. For more information on becoming a master gardener, visit www.capcitymag.org or email capcitymag@gmail.com