Okra a Superfood You Can’t do without
One of the beauties of my childhood years was, my parents allowed me to have several gardens where I was able to grow veggies such as peppers, corn, pigeon peas, and okras.
You could only imagine how happy and proud I was to see my little garden taking shape as my veggies reached full maturity. Here on the island, the natives prepare a famous dish known as okra soup, we also enjoy a hearty healthy meal of okra and rice. What we will be looking at in this article are some facts about okras and how this veggie can benefit us.
Growing Okras
The native soil that I planted my little garden in was not that rich at that time but I am so thankful that I still had some garden success. Choose a location that gets about 5-6 hours of sun, the soil of okras should be and organic-rich soil, space each planting hole about 1 foot apart to allow room for the plant to grow as they reach maturity.
The planting hole should be dug about an inch to an inch and a half, place about 3-4 seeds in each planting hole. Cover with soil and moisten the planting hole with water.
Do not allow the soil to dry out and by the seem measure do not overwater because overwatering can cause severe damage to seeds and seedlings as they germinate. In about 2 – 2 1/2 weeks you should see young plants emerging from the soil.
Continue watering by keeping the soil moist, not waterlogged. Allow for several weeks and your okras will be ready to harvest. To know if okras are ready to harvest press gently, even though okras may be firm it will still have some softness to it.
If you allow okras to set on the tree for too long the okra will become hard and then split at this point it is not eatable but the seeds can be replanted for another harvest of this superfood.
Okra fun facts
1. It is said that another name for okra is lady’s fingers.
2. Okra is the only veggie that has slime.
3. Okra is used as natural medicine.
4. Okras was first grown in Egypt.
5. Okras has been around for more than 2000 years.
Okra health benefits
1. Okra aids in a bowel movement.
2. Okra promotes good digestion.
3. Okra promotes vision health.
4. It is an immune booster.
5. Promotes heart health.
6. It helps to improve skin.
7. It helps to reduce blood pressure.
8. Has been known to lower cholesterol.
9. Aids in weight loss.
10. Has been known to fight against cancer.
Vitamin content of okra includes
Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Folate, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorus, Copper, Dietary fiber, Zinc, Niacin, Protein, Riboflavin
The final word
The benefits of okras are so amazing and adding this superfood to your diet will keep you feeling super so the next time you write your shopping list include okra or better yet plant a garden of okras and enjoy eating this superfood grown by your very own hands.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Hi, Norman!
I remember first trying Okra with Jerk chicken on my trip to Jamaica and it was scrumptious. 🙂 I’ve also heard Okra given the name of lady’s fingers both in the Carribean and also at home in the UK.
Although I’ve rarely eaten Okra since my Jamaica vacation, reading through your 10 health benefits listed, I guess I will start eating it more often and creating new recipes using the vegetable.
I also think growing mmy own Okra sounds very interesting as well, so I appreciate the tips.
Neil
Hey, Norman. Thanks for this post. I love Okra. It’s great in vegetable soup. I also love it fried, but it probably loses the health benefits that way. However, you bring up benefits of Okra that I wasn’t aware of. I can’t believe that it’s packed with that many vitamins and the ten points you bring up about it’s health benefits are unreal. I never thought of it as a super food. But I do now! I’ll be eating more of it.
All the best to you,
Don
Excellent post! The only awareness of okra that I had while growing up was that it was mystery ingredient in my favorite canned vegetable soup. Later, I found it that it was a staple crop in gardens in the southern US, which was why I could not find it anywhere! I will have to look around more now that I know of the benefits of this super food.
I have been eating and cooking with Okra for quite a while now, but was unaware how healthy this food actually was. I tend to buy my Okra from Asian food stores, as it is a specialist ingredient and is not available everywhere. Living in the UK and not getting to much sunshine, I am not sure we have the right kind of climate for growing Okra, but if I was to give it a try, what would be the best way to do this, given our wet climate?
Hello Daniel so good to meet you and I am so happy that I could help. So sorry to hear about your climate what you can do is to try growing them in a container that way you can move them around to get some sunlight and bring them in a shaded area like the porch or patio when the rain comes.
Here is a link that may help, please let me know how it goes. Have s a good day.http://gardenofedengardencente…
Hello Norman, I thoroughly enjoyed you article okra. I was very surprised to learn that it’s a superfood and all the benefits of eating okra.
I’m curious about how many ways there are to preparing okra. Do you know of many other ways of making it? I’d sure like to know.
Next time I visit the store I’ll be looking for okra. Is okra seasonal or can you purchase okra year round? Thanks for sharing this helpful info.
Hello, Robert so good to meet you. Okras are great and has so many benefits that can aid the body in so many ways. You can purchase them year round. You can purchase dry or canned. I will be putting together some information soon about recipes so be on the look out. Hope this helps, have a good day.
Hi Norman,
I never liked the vegetable lady finger, but I was forced to have it when I was younger, from my parents and I thought that was cruelty towards children.
After I went through your site I really liked the benefits of okra and even the idea about organically growing it. I may not love the taste still I think having it will just help me a lot.
My family loves it so I now think I found a reason to like it too. Thanks for the super informative site you shared.
Hello, Sujit so good to meet you and thanks for sharing your story with me. Okra has so many great benefits, I am glad that you have decided to give this veggie a try again. Please let me know how it goes. All the best to you and have a good day