Well, the garden is planted. Just in time for heat to arrive. Daily watering to get the tomatoes going. Now, we wait for six to eight weeks for the first ripened goodies.
I started seeds at home and they were getting rather leggy while I was waiting for the weather to warm up.
I planted three varieties of heirlooms from Monticello. Red fig, purple calabash, and prudens purple. These were the last seeds from a trip to Charlottesville a few years back. All of them from the descendants of three hundred year old stock.
Last year only the purple calabash survived. Crossing my fingers that these healthy looking plants make it.The purple calabash have won ribbons for me in the county fair.
Every day I go up to the garden, I cross my fingers as these heirlooms are far more fragile than the hybrid tomatoes available to grow.
I do mix in some hybrids, like sungold and celebrity and early girl.
This year my theme is tomato sauce. I planted onions, peppers, basil and tomatoes.
A few squash plants, and a handful of okra. Yes, I really like okra especially when I can oven bake them as “okra fries”.
So easy to make. Crunchy. I use garam masala on mine, and dip in ranch dressing.
In the meantime, while waiting for the main event of the summer harvest, we continue to enjoy the asparagus and rhubarb in many ways. The latest?
Rhubarb crisp. A simple recipe from the web. Served with vanilla ice cream.
And people wonder why I don’t eat out much. I have too much fun creating things here and enjoying leisurely meals with a good bottle of wine. While waiting for those tomatoes to produce.
AnnieRie Unplugged 
I’ve never had okra. Never. It wasn’t a thing in my family. But you have inspired me to try it with the ‘recipe’ you outlined here.