OCA

See:oca

OKRA

Okra  (Abelmoschus esculentus) is used a lot in Africa, Asia, and warmer parts of America. The plants are very demanding in warmth, I never managed to grow them outside over here, but they do grow fine in greenhouse conditions.  Give them the necessary water, and they will grow quickly to heights of sometimes two metres (depending on the variety, some are only 80 cms...

Okra pods are used young , stir -fried or added to soups, curries, and other things.  The seeds are also eaten, boiled or ground into flour.

ONION

I use a lot of onions, they add lots of flavour to all sort of (mostly) hot sauces or other dishes.  Contrary to what most people think, onions aren’t too hard to grow from seeds, you just need to start them early enough, I sow mine about half February in trays in the greenhouse and, depending on the weather (they prefer humid but warm circumstances) and the variety, I can harvest from half -July on.  Bear in mind that onion varieties are bred for specific daylengths, onions grown in tropical or subtropical latitudes will not form nice bulbs over here (and vice versa).

ORACH

OXALIS DEPPEI

Mainly grown as an ornamental, oxalis deppei is an easy to grow , low-staying plant with pretty , edible flowers and leaves. Don’t eat too much of them, they still contain some toxic residues, but a few don’t do any harm!  They are marvelous added to salads, cut into small pieces (they have a strong taste anyway...).  The thick tuber found in autumn is also edible, but the taste is a bit bland, a hint of lemon is included.  Apparently the tuber does taste better in other climates.