Okra - Cows Horn
Abelmoschus esculentus cv.
'Cow's Horn' is a southern heirloom variety of this plant, originally native to East Africa, with distinctive curved fruits. Okra was frequently grown at Monticello after Thomas Jefferson’s retirement in 1809, and often as a companion plant to “tomatas.”
In Notes on the State of Virginia, begun in 1781, Jefferson records that the gardens of his native state "yield musk melons, water melons, tomatoes, okra, pomegranates, figs, and the esculent plants of Europe." A native of East Africa, Okra was frequently grown at Monticello after Thomas Jefferson’s retirement in 1809, with seed planted generally in late March or early April. In 1817, for instance, he notes its planting in Monticello's Vegetable Garden on April 2 and its arrival at table on July 28, over sixteen weeks later.
A member of the mallow family, okra has large, handsome yellow flowers. The young fruiting pods were often combined with tomatoes for soups and gumbo in Jefferson family recipes. In 1813, Jefferson edged his "square," or plot of tomatoes with okra - a rather unusual combination of plant textures. Cows Horn is an heirloom okra variety.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
