Okra up north: how a forgotten heirloom travelled the African diaspora to Toronto

Okra holds a special place in many African-descended communities, and a Canadian farmer with Jamaican roots is growing a very old variety When Nicole Austin was growing up in Oshawa, Canada, her Jamaican family couldn’t find the foods they enjoyed back on the island. No callaloo, garden eggs or okra. Austin’s grandmother grew certain things in her backyard, but only if she had the necessary seeds. “It’s often small-scale farmers, farmers of color, Black farmers that make sure that these foods...

By Adria R Walker