OKRA, Volta Okra

Volta Okra  Abelmoschus esculentus   

Approximately 20 seeds per pack.

Germination ~ 69% Packed for 2023.

Acquired from Carter Brothers Okra, the Volta Okra variety hails from the Volta River region of Ghana and Togo in west Africa. Its fruits are ribbed, long and slender. It’s a heavy producer of pods, producing fruits about 60 days after transplanting. Okra can be eaten raw or cooked. It is used both as a vegetable and as a condiment. It goes well with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and eggplant.

Okra adds body and flavor to soups, stews, and relishes, and can be grilled, braised, steamed, and sautéed. Traditionally a favorite for soups and stews, okra can be canned, fried, roasted or boiled. It is also great fresh off the stalk. The smaller pods are more tender so consider harvesting pods when they are about 3 Inches long. Pods get much bigger and the plants just keep growing until cool weather in the autumn. They will get 6 feet or taller in areas with a long, warm growing season.

Though some claim Ethiopia or South Asia as the origin, okra’s is likely first cultivated in west Africa. Okra made its way from West Africa to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade and became a staple, specifically in southern cooking, According to farmer, educator and author Leah Penniman enslaved Africans hid okra seeds in their hair on the forced journey across the Atlantic.