Okra

In the fruits of this plant a lot of vitamins, carbohydrates, easily digestible protein, carotene, potassium salt and mucous substances. From the seeds, a vegetable oil is obtained, whichcan bravely compete with olive oil, because in oil from okra there are a lot of useful properties that will not be harmful for those who are about to lose weight. If you need to recover from the disease, then the fruits of okra will be an excellent medicine for this. Also they can be eaten by those who have had an exhaustion of the body. The plant is part of the diet of those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Broths from the fruits of okra can be drunk with bronchitis.

Now a little about the plant itself and about the peculiarities of growing. This is an annual plant that belongs tofamily of mallow. Bamia is a tall plant, sometimes grows up to 2 m. Young fruits, which are similar to green pepper pods, are consumed directly. Fruits must be harvested within 3-5 days, but not later, since they grow very fast,then coarsen, darken and lose their nutritional value. Seeds that are in a young pod can be eaten the same way as peas. Ripe fruits are not directly used for food, but they are made from butter and serve as a substitute for coffee.

It is difficult to spoil a dish with a bamiy, so it is possibleadd as a seasoning and use as a separate dish. Also okra is very good for making sauces. The pods can be dried and canned.

Now about gardening. Planting is possible only in areas where summervery hot. Seeds very well will rise in a heated greenhouse. Most often, the okra is planted in seedlings in the first half of June. Seeds for seedlings are sown in the last days of April or early May. In okra long rod root (up to 20 cm), so it is better to use deeppots with peat-ground soil. Seeds need to be deepened 2-4 cm from the surface, watering sparingly, so that there is no excessive overmoistening. If the temperature of the soil is not less than 15 degrees, okra will germinate in a couple of weeks. As soon as the first green leaves appeared, the plant must be fertilized with phosphorus fertilizer. Also, during the growth period, the bamia should be fed periodically.

Transplanting. Note that the distance between the plants is notshould be less than 30-40 cm, and between rows - 50 cm. The soil should not be wet or dry. The root is long, so it is desirable to moisten the soil to a depth of 30-40 cm. If you decide to grow a bamia in a greenhouse, you should often ventilate it so that the air does not overheat and is not very wet.

As okra grows fast, the first fruits will appear after flowering throughtwo month. When a large number of fruits appear, it is necessary to feed the soil very richly with humus and potassium nitrate. It is advisable to consume fruits in the first days after harvesting, as they can become hard and become tasteless. The okra is fruitful for a long time, so you can enjoy the young fruits before the first frost. The plant will carry the temperature to minus three degrees, but the fruiting does not stop, but slightly slows down.

If you want to acquire seeds of okra yourself, then you need leave a few fruits on different plants to fully ripen. Then collect the seeds and store them in a darkdry place. As already mentioned above, mature seeds are a good substitute for coffee. The prepared drink will turn out to be fragrant and useful, because it does not contain caffeine. It can be eaten at night and given to children.

Plant this plant on your site, because then you will be able to brag of the delicious fruits that come from Africa.