In the summer of 2015 I learned how easy it is to save okra seed. You just leave the pods on the plant, the seeds dry in the pod, and they are ready to sow. The farmer who taught me this lesson also explained that this characteristic of okra, to produce viable seed picked right from the plant, is why we see okra in every country in the African diaspora. Our African ancestors cultivated these plants over generations. And they were readily able to carry the seeds with them as they were forcibly shipped across the globe. The knowledge that my people cultivated relationships with plants that continue to nourish me today is an anchor. They partnered in times of joy and disaster. I am so grateful. I take every chance I get to build relationships with the plants that knew my African ancestors, my Jamaican ancestors, and my ancestors across the diaspora.
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