GARDEN GREENS ....the 'so-called' Spinaches

Besides the regular greens growing in our garden, such as basils, an assortment of lettuces, arugula and other herbs, we have planted what many people call "spinach" but are not like any spinach you might be familiar with.   The closest to looking like spinach is the first one, the Malabar.

 

 
  

 

Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach (Basella alba or Basella Rubra) is a perennial tropical fast-growing and soft-stemmed vine in the Basellaceae family and not an actual spinach.  The vines can grow up to 10 feet.  Does well on trellises or twisted around wire tomato cages.

 

The stem has a slight little ‘squarish’ look and can be either green or dark reddish purple as in the variety called Basella Rubra.  the plant has insignificant white blooms and shiny black berry-like seeds.

 

The Malabar spinach loves full sunlight, hot and humid temperatures and does best when grown at altitudes less than 500 foot elevation but has been known to grow at higher elevations.

 

High in vitamins A and C and loaded with calcium, it can be consumed as either a raw salad green or cooked as you would regular spinach.  The leaves and stems have a mucilaginous consistency and in some countries only the new shoots are cooked and eaten.

 

I first became acquainted with this plant while living in Cuba.  My mother made mainly salads with the leaves.

 

The mucilaginous texture is especially useful as a thickener in soups and stews.  We love to mix it in with other greens in salads, but have also used it in stir fries.

 

 

Moluccan (Dawn or Daun Dewa) Spinach 

Moluccan Spinach (Gynura divaricata), said to be originally discovered in Formosa, now known as Taiwan.  There is a variety called Gynura nepalensis said to have originated in Nepal.

 

A hardy, fast growing plant also related to the Okinawan Spinach.

 

This so-called cholesterol lowering plant is also said to be used in some countries as a tea to decrease the blood glucose of diabetic patients and has been used in China for bronchial treatments.

 

The plant throws long ‘shoots’ that will keep on growing if left unchecked.  I try to train them on trellises.  It can be rooted directly into the ground by cuttings.  The leaves have a slightly fuzzy texture that is not disagreeable to the palate.  I have never seen a bloom or seed pod on this plant.

 

Can be eaten raw in salads or mixed in stews and stir fries.  I prefer to cut a wad of them as a chiffonade in salads.

 

I have tried finding what vitamins and other properties this plant contains, but haven’t been too successful.

 

I first became familiar with this plant after moving to Hawai'i when a neighbor gave me a starter plant.

 

 

Okinawan Spinach 

Okinawan spinach (Gynura crepioides) is a sub-tropical perennial vegetable plant that grows as a ground cover and can be rooted directly into the ground by cuttings.  It has beautiful soft teeth edged lance-like shiny leaves that are green on top and purple on the bottom.  The insignificant flowers can be either yellow or orangey-red.

 

The plant can grow in sun or partial shade.  It is best to propagate from cuttings as when planted from seeds it reverts to the original all green plant and loses the beautiful purple underside of the leaves.

 

Like the Moluccan spinach, it is also purported to help lower cholesterol.  When cooking, add the leaves at last or garnish with raw leaves as the heat turns the leaves completely green and the purple disappears.

 

As with all edible vegetation, please take care to wash all leaves carefully before eating raw to avoid any contamination.

 

The cholesterol lowering claims of the Moluccan and the Okinawan spinach have not been substantiated nor made by me.  I have no medical information that supports the claimed properties of these plants.

 

The salad shown below has all three 'spinach' greens, as well as mizuna, parsley and basil.  The berries are poha or Hawaiian gooseberries; goat cheese, chopped and toasted macadamia nuts and liliko'i (passion fruit) vinaigrette gave it the finishing touch.

 

 

Comments

[Sonia]

Mahalo for your nice comments about the blog, Vixen....
When you decide to move and which island, let me know...I might know someone there sho might be able to help you with gardening questions on that particular island.

[Vixenjean]

I just wanted to say that I love your blog! My husband and I are going to move to one of your beautiful islands one day and gardening is a passion of ours that we hope to enjoy once we are there. It will be a whole new ball game after gardening in Oregon, but we are excited to learn. Thanks for all the lovely pictures and advice :-)

[Sonia]

Mahalo.....I love experimenting and using veggies and produce that grow either in my yard or near me!

[Mahinui Gail]

what a glorious salad.

[Sonia]

Thank you for commenting, Tiny House....

[tiny house]

This is one of the many reasons that I like gardening! I get to have some fresh veggies for salads!

[Sonia]

They should grow well for you in your area, unless you get a freeze or low temps like you did this past winter...

I usually use them in combination with other greens, except for the Malabar, which we like all by itself

[FrugalMom]

I never heard of any of these, but they sure sound and look interesting. I bet they are tasty too.