Also called okra. Its green seed pods are delicious. Its head has a protrusion that is lighter green in colour and is frequently removed as an inedible part. A cross section of a lady finger reveals spherical, white seeds that are evenly distributed throughout the fruit or vegetable. The interior stickiness of this vegetable is one of its distinctive symptoms.
Varieties
Choose a spineless lady finger variety for ease of harvest, but be cautious that even varieties marked as spineless are not entirely spine-free. Popular types include the hybrid plant ‘Annie Oakley,’ which produces a good yield. It can grow to be 3 to 4 feet tall.
A heritage variety called “Burgundy” features dark crimson seed pods that gradually lose some of their colour when cooked. It has a height of about 4 feet.
An ancestral plant called “Clemson Spineless” is renowned for its flavor. It is a bigger type that can reach heights of 4 to 5 feet.
The seed pods on “Emerald” are particularly long, measuring 7 to 9 inches. This heirloom plant has no spines and can reach a height of about 4 feet.
Yet another heirloom plant is “White Velvet.” It grows up to 5 feet and has delicate white pods.
Uses
The main purpose of lady finger is as a vegetable. It can also be seen occasionally in stews and soups.
Nutrition
90% of the raw lady finger is water, 2% is protein, 7% is carbs, and very little fat. Raw lady fingers have a high concentration of vitamin C, dietary fibers, and vitamin K in a 100 g reference serving, as well as moderate amounts of thiamin, folate, and magnesium.
Cultivation
In tropical and warm temperate areas of the world, Abelmoschus esculentus is grown for its fibrous fruits or pods that contain spherical, white seeds. It is one of the vegetable species that can tolerate intense heat, drought, deep clay soils, and patchy precipitation, although cold has harmful effect the pods. The seeds are first soaked for a whole night to a depth of 1-2 centimetres before being planted in a crop.
Being a tropical plant, it requires a lot of sunlight and soil with a 5.8-7 pH that is on the acidic side. Water is a must for seedlings.
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