Spotlight on Something Unique - Malabar Spinach

Hey Everyone,

Red Stem Malabar Spinach
grown by
Kimberly Roberto, Beds 27 & 28!

I hope everybody has enjoyed the opportunity to take a peek at Vann's Indigo Rose tomato plant. For our next stop on the parade of something unique and beautiful in the garden, stroll by Kimberly's bed (number 27) and check out the Red Stem Malabar spinach plant.  Red Stem Malabar spinach is one that catches my eye as it has the beauty of a unique ornamental plant, but the versatility of a very healthful green.

When the days of summer reach 80 degrees or more, gardeners face the challenge to grow fresh greens as most including regular spinach will start to bolt, wither, and complete their life cycles.  Malabar spinach is an excellent green for bridging the gap between spring and fall allowing tasty growth all summer long.      

This particular spinach is a native plant to areas such as India and Indonesia.  It is commonly grown in these places as well as Southeastern Asia, China, and Africa.  As a perennial vine in tropic or sub-tropic climates, it produces an abundant crop of succulent leaves that simply laugh when the temperatures hit the 90's and above.  On hot and humid days, these varieties grow 8 inches or more per day.  In our zone, it is grown as an annual that dies off at the first hint of frost.  However, according to a few journal entries I have read, supposedly it can be overwintered in a greenhouse or a heated sunroom.

Green Malabar Spinach
grown in Denise's
home garden!

Providing a little shade does promote larger leaves that are quite tasty for wraps and such.  If we have any juicer's out there, these varieties of spinach are highly recommended due to their succelent nature.  Keeping the soil consistently moist prevents the plant from flowering, which may occasionally turn the leaves bitter.  All parts of the plant are useful and at seasons end the seed is easy to obtain for future cultivation. The taste is outstanding with a wonderful crisp bite that is so refreshing.  It is almost juicy due to its succulent qualities. The spinach flavor shines through (IMO on the green leaf variety) with maybe a hint of a young chard leaf finish.  We need to get Kimberly to let us know how the Red Malabar variety tastes!  Two cups of cooked Malabar spinach contain approximately 23 calories and less than 1 gram of fat.  This same serving provides a quarter of the Vitamin A you need each day as well as 8 percent of the DVs for fiber, iron, vitamin C, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, and manganese.

Kudos to Kimberly for bringing us something so wonderful to learn about from the tropics!

For those that would like to read more on Malabar Spinach, the link below has some general information.

http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.com/2011/10/permaculture-plants-malabar-spinach.html.

Kimberly's Red Stem Malabar plants came from Farmer D's on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta.  Mine are from John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds.

Next stop in the garden - Mexico!

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29