Green Okra Seeds (20)

Green Okra Seeds (Abelmoschus esculentus) 20 seeds

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a species of tropical flowering plant native to Africa or India, related to hibiscus, belonging to the Malvaceae family1.

Its fruit is a pyramid-shaped capsule harvested green and used as a vegetable and as a condiment. Its cross section shows five carpels that form a regular pentagon. Its skin is covered with downy bristles.

Okra is a tall, perennial but often grown as an annual herb, with an erect stem that can reach 2.50 m in height12.

The leaves are palmately lobed, suborbicular in size, with 5-7 irregularly serrated lobes. They are carried by a long petiole (up to 35 cm)12.

The solitary, axillary flowers are formed of a spathaceous calyx with 5 teeth, 5 petals of 3-4.5 cm12, yellow or yellowish, spotted with purple at the base, 5 carpels and fused stamens.

The fruit is a capsule 8-25 cm long, hairy, angular, ovoid-lanceolate, long pointed.

The fruit contains a mucilaginous (gelatinous) substance that is useful for thickening soups and stews.1 Okra is eaten raw or cooked and is part of many Caribbean, African, Mediterranean and Japanese dishes. It is notably used in the preparation of West Indian calalou. It is also the key ingredient in the soup that accompanies Haitian tonmtonm, a dish that is particularly popular in the South Department of the country.

It pairs well with tomato, onion, yam, pepper as well as curry, coriander, oregano, lemon, vinegar and other spices such as ras el hanout. It is frequently used in Mediterranean cuisine, including Turkish, Greek, Cypriot and Lebanese cuisines.

Reproducible seeds harvested exclusively in the Pot'à'Jo garden, a horticultural and permaculture market garden of 1500m². Everything is cultivated there with deep respect for nature and their inhabitants. I have been growing my own seeds from seed to seed for years.