My first full meal, almost exclusively grown with my own two hands.

Tonight, I cooked a meal like no other in my life. Nearly everything you see was grown by me, on my land, in my back yard.
I have this penchant for buy meat that has been marked down, one presumes it is going out of date.

^{Sorry for the appearance, I didn't think to get a pic, and dug this outta the trash}
Normally I do this and it goes to the freezer, but THIS piece, has been in the fridge for about 4 days.
It was time, as was it time to cook most of the okra.
Unless you are from the Southern US or Western Africa, you are probably not familiar with Okra
Okra or Okro (US: /ˈoʊkrə/, UK: /ˈɒkrə/), Abelmoschus esculentus, known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. It is a good source of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world and is a notable part of the cuisine of the Southern United States and India.

My Okra

Those little conical shaped buds form the pods

Which didn't make as prolifically as I had hoped; next year I will plant more, more deeply and earlier.
They have a beautiful flower

Okra is most often cooked as an addition to stewed tomatoes, STEWED Okra are an acquired taste. Most folk can't stand Okra unless it is breaded and fried.
Not me

Now, I HAD to cook these. My stand of Okra didn't produce but a few pods per day, and you MUST cut them before they get too large or they will be stringy and fit for nothing BUT frying.
They had been slowly accumulating in the veggie drawer of my fridge and had begun to look sad.
But I digress

^{Damn! I need an updated photo. Hang on a minute}

^{↑That is my current garden↑}
Puny, but it's mine.
SO, from that little plot I got all the:
Okra,
Cucumbers,
Tomatoes
Poblano peppers (I got bell and habanero too, they ain't ready yet)

And THAT my friends, is how you make a meal! ^{(as you can see in the first pic, I only ate half of it. the rest is destined for a family member arriving later tonight)}

"My first homegrown meal"

^by
Jerry E Smith
©07/24/2021
All images are original