Okra magic

A full time stay at home mom and a homemaker, with a college degree in home science, my mother is perhaps one of those few people who actually got to use her education in her work. All our meals used to be planned very diligently to ensure it was well balanced. Every now and then her old college record books would be seen on the kitchen counter and you'd know she was planning a surprise snack or meal. On other days it would be some activity aimed at skill building or child development. I remember being excited about our visits to craft stores for the summer vacation where I could pick up whatever I wished. A child herself when she was with us, my mom has perhaps worked so hard when we were growing up that I still have very fond memories of my childhood.

One of my all time favorite activities was what my mom called vegetable printing. She would give us paint and cut pieces of onion, beans and okra to print flowers. I remember how excited I was when I saw for the first time the prints. It felt like magic!I was convinced that the vegetables were meant to be used for only printing and not eating.

Although my opinion has changed over time, I still feel the magic when I use vegetables to print. Although I had plenty of beans growing I am yet to use them for printing. However, in the case of okra I got lucky. The stunted plants in my garden bore such small fruits that I kept waiting for it to get bigger and all they did was get older.

Okra is best eaten tender. Once they harden they get too fibrous and are no longer fit for consumption. They have to be picked every two days and the more often you pick the more fruits you get.

I picked the okra in my garden with great disappointment and did not have the heart to throw it and hence took it home. As it sat there on my dining table, my brain was trying desperately to find some way to use it. My mother's printing activity crossed my mind suddenly when my daughter asked for her paint.

I think I had more fun than her doing the okra prints that day! My munchkin's excitement was fun to see as well. She kept saying "Amma flaber (flower)"every time she did a print. When I pick my next batch of okra I'm definitely leaving a couple to get older for some more printing and maybe use the beans too next time! 
 

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