I went out and sat under the climbing okra vine last night waiting for the moths.

The ants have the day shift. The moths have the night shift.

These flowers glow as the sun goes down, beacons for its pollinators.

Moths come to the blooms.

The female blooms produce a long pod.

These can get over a foot long.

The seeds look like watermelon seeds .

The fruit tastes like okra.

It’s large pods can be dried to make luffa sponges, thus its name Luffa acutangula.

What an interesting, multi-purpose plant.

Flower grows food, too.

I finally collected enough Climbing Okra (Luffa acutangula) to cook a batch.

I saved the large pods for seed. (Don’t panic people.)

First wash the pods.

Remove the ends and cut the rest into sections.

Toss the pieces in cornmeal.

Fry in oil.

Drain and put in a pan on paper towels.

It smells like okra. It tastes like okra. But it’s luffa.

Delicious to eat and lovely to grow.

Next post will be more about the vine.

FLOW