Okra Soup

This soup is an old Charleston favorite. Nothing fancy, it is cooked all day and served at night with the ever-present pot of steaming hot white rice. Some cooks throw a “soup bunch” into the pot while the shank boils. Sold in predominately black neighborhood grocery stores, the bunch is an elaborate bouquet garni of mixed vegetables and aromatics for the soup pot. A typical soup bunch includes a carrot, celery, thyme, cabbage, and turnips with their greens. It is usually cooked with