The Okra Season

It's almost time for okra season.

It's the same time as tomato season and green bean season and summer squash season. But, historically, I can't seem to grow good tomatoes here, the green beans and summer squash don't have enough room to produce properly but that okra, oh my, how she grows in that little plot of land I call my garden.

I really try to feed that part of my soul that says "get into the soil... grow your own vegetables...look what can be produced from one tiny seed." It really is fulfilling to pick something from your garden, go right into the kitchen and serve it up on the plate. I grew up that way, and during the season when we did not have a certain vegetable fresh (corn is not a winter plant), we'd have home-canned corn in a Mason jar to eat. I have had relatively good health (except for the fried foods dilemma that all true Southerners have) and I credit it to well water and real home-grown vegetables. I eat what is regional, including local honey and suscribe to the theory that if you eat locally produced foods, your health will benefit. Just another reason I'm back down here in the land of fried green tomatoes, oysters and watermelon.

I need to get the seeds in the ground today, so that I will have my beloved okra soon. I prefer to start them in peat pots, but not sure if I kept them in my last "garden-crap-cleanout" of 2012. The garden has been dormant all winter, covered in hay to keep the soil warm and moist and weed free. I just hate to see the little sprouts struggling to keep their leaves in the hot Florida sun, so I usually start them in small containers until they can withstand transplanting. The tomatoes are already in, and survived the two weird cold snaps in early March, so I'll tie up their stalks and hope for the best this year. Nothing better than a tomato right off the vine.

Honestly, if I were officially retired, my whole back yard, except for a small portion, would be sectioned off into rows and vegetables planted, from corn to cabbage. I find working with the soil to be cathartic, if not intelligent. I mean really, why do people have lawns? They can be beautiful, yes, but vegetables can be eaten, they flower and are beautiful in their own right, and you don't have to mow them. Makes sense to me. My dad got his love of gardening from his heritage, and often talked about the "Victory Gardens" that were planted back in the two World Wars. My own sisters both love to grow flowers and vegetables, so it must be in our blood as well. They do much better at it than I.

So, brand-new manicure be damned, I'm out to put in the seed that will hopefully yield some yummy gumbos and soups this summer. And if anyone wants seeds, well, I have a ton of dried okra. Just let me know.