So, I picked some of it and brought it home. Cut into it ... still looks like okra ... so I breaded and fried it. Tasted great.
DH and I have called everyone we can think of -- LSU extension office, old timers, other farmers -- to try to find out something about these unusual okra plants found in a very unusual place.
It isn't difficult to figure out how the plants came to grow where we found them. Obviously it was deer or bear that had eaten the okra somewhere and deposited it on the turn row. There are so many critter tracks around the farm, that it would be impossible to tell for sure. Coyotes are an outside chance, since they will eat almost anything if hungry enough.
Best guess so far is that the okra that was eaten by the animal was a hybrid and the resulting plants we found were throwbacks of some kind. The plants are big, strong and very pretty and definitely not spineless. These plants will leave you itching and stinging worse than any okra I've ever picked. I had to wear long sleeves, pants and gloves to get near the plants.
Since we cut the okra in the garden down weeks ago, we were very grateful for this gift from nature!
