I ran into a neighbor friend at the market early this summer and she offered to bring me some red okra seeds.

Of course I agreed.

She walked over one day soon thereafter with an envelope with over a dozen nice round seeds.  To help them germinate I put them in ice cube trays, filled the trays with water, and froze them overnight.

The next day I sowed two frosty seed cubes in each hole, covered them, watered, and waited.

It was late in the year to get started, but we have a pretty long growing season here and I think they will have a chance to produce before it gets cool.

They’re about three feet tall now.

I love the red veining and the red stems and buds.

Gardeners crave variety and color.  There’s something so exciting about a plant just a little bit different, or a lot different, especially after we’ve been gardening a few years.

When the seed catalogs appear in January the wild and wonderful cultivars call out my name over the barren tundra of late winter.

Mention “heirloom” and “red” in the same breath and I’m selling my heirlooms to add new plants to the list.

My friend (she of the okra seeds) also shared her recipe for okra fritters.  As soon as my okra produces, I’m making and posting those.  I can’t wait!

Maybe I’ll make them with blue cornmeal . . .