- Author: Tina Saravia
In April, I found myself sowing three different varieties of okra, along with the other vegetable seeds I acquired this year.
Those okra seeds are sprouted and sent home with their respected owners to grow in their own gardens. I will be planting my own ‘Star of David' variety in the ground very soon.
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email that I am one of the 260, out of 8,000 requests to receive a packet of... seeds for the Whidby White Okra CSS Project.
It seems someone has forgotten that she has signed-up for the project.
After I gathered myself from the initial shock of getting more okra, I got excited.
Earlier this week, I got my packet, and I can't wait to get started.
The study started in the late 1980's when the Seed Savers Exchange received seeds from a Mrs. H.L. Jarrard of Oakwood, Georgia. At the time the seeds were called the Whitley White, named after the family, that had the seeds for generation. But researching its origin soon revealed that in fact the family's name was Whidby, and not Whitley. Thereby changing the name of the variety to Whidby White.
The whole story can be found on this link:
The goal is “to steer this mid-1800s okra variety back to its original phenotype through selective seed saving.”
My role is to grow the seeds and pick the palest pods, let the pods mature, save the seeds and mail them back. I get to keep the rest of the harvest.
Time to get sowing...