Becoming part of a southern tradition

I am a little step closer to being truly southern...I have now grown, harvested, pickled, fried, and eaten okra!!! RaDora (who grew up in Arkansas, so she knows about okra) came over to teach me what in the world to do with it. You may remember that she is the reason we planted okra in the garden this year...because she pleaded quite prettily!...but now we're hooked enough that it will be an annual crop!

Harvesting the okra...I told RaDora to stand there and look cute...didn't she do a grand job?!The okra blossom...it is in the same family as the hibiscus and the hollyhock.Part of our first harvest. Okra is a perpetual-harvester, so we will continue to harvest more until either the frost kills the plant or we pull out the plants because we can't take any more! :)Getting everything ready for pickling. The jar on the left is one that RaDora's uncle had made last year...RaDora brought it for us to try so that we knew what we were making (yum)! Only two jars this time -- this round was more about learning the process than about quantity. Both jars sealed...yay! Aren't they pretty? (The red things are roasted red peppers, included for aesthetic value.) We also fried part of the harvest, but I forgot to take a picture of that (whoops). So now I am officially an okra-fan...and I had a fun few hours with a friend, too...all in all, a successful venture!