Okra and Friends

Don't know if other gardeners raise much okra or not but I tried my hand at it this summer. The first photo is of an okra plant with it's big, jagged leaves and two of the okra pods. For those that don't know about okra it is a really good veggie that likes hot weather and a good bit of water. The long pod is full of white seeds when picked and black seeds if mature. It is best to pick okra when it is small and tender. These two were almost to big but good for the photo. I prefer okra cut in small chunks and fried in butter or oil but it is good boiled, too. It does well in soups and casseroles. Try adding some boiled okra to a zucchini casserole. The second and third photos are of the okra flower and I think it is very pretty.

This is one of the dozen small watermelons we raised. Next photo is of my one and only cantaloupe. Last photos are of a couple of gourds I raised this year.