Okra - Love it or Hate It? Most people we know either love okra or hate it. As okra season is in full effect, we offer a little info on the okra to help the haters to give it a second chance. The okra, a relative to the hibiscus and cotton plant, is a little tubular vegetable with fuzzy, tender casing and round, edible white seeds. Okra also has a sticky core that causes the up-turned noses and looks of disgust among the haters. Some people call it slime, but we like to think of it as the Glue of Goodness. Besides, the slime helps thicken soups and stews and adds great flavor. Okra is popular among Southern, Creole, Indian, and African cuisine. Besides the added taste value, okra is also "gasp" nutritious! It's a great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and folic acid.

How to buy okra: buy young, tender okra, free of bruises. And yes, size does matter. Contrary to popular belief, the smaller is better. The bigger the okra, the more fibrous and tough they will be.

The okra is: Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium, high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Protein, Riboflavin, Niacin, Iron, Zinc and Copper

Okra is found in it's wild state on the alluvial banks of the Nile and the Egyptians were the first to cultivate it in the basin of the Nile (12'th century BC). It was propagated then through North Africa to the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and India. It arrived then in the Americas at Brazil (1658), Dutch Guinea and at New Orleans before extending in the United States and going up to Philadelphia in 1781.