I'm fascinated by ethnobotany and the history of foods in different cultures. I went to a presentation given by Justin Duncan from NCAT- https://www.ncat.org - about African American gardening hertitage. My husband and I enjoyed the program so much that Eric suggested I have Justin on one of my TV segments. So today we taped a segment about the history of okra. Justin told me that slaves from Africa brought okra seeds with them- making every effort they could to bring a part of their home with them. Other crops that came to our country from Africa include watermelons, cowpeas, artichokes and asparagus. These are all staples in my Texas garden and I am so pleased that Justin shared their history with me. I have grown some fun types of okra including the local heirloom variety "Hill Country Red". The red pods and leaves were a real knock out! I sometimes use okra instead of corn when planting a three sisters garden- a Native American gardening tradition of planting corn, beans and squash together. The corn is a little too tempermental sometimes and the okra is way easier to deal with. Okra seeds are really easy to save for next season's planting. Watch the Time Warner Cable News Segment here.