Spinach is a very loose term around here. Anything green that can be tossed into soups, stir-fries, stews, curries, quiches gets called a spinach green (even though it is sometimes purple).
I love the idea of taking a leaf from this and leaf from that. This way of harvesting…
- is easier on each of the plants
- sources a much wider range of nutrition for your meal because each plant accumulates different minerals micronutrients from the soil
- encourages a perennialisation of the garden
- makes use of hardy plants
- means there is something always available
These are some of the things I toss into my basket as a ‘spinach’ mix:
- silverbeet
- rainbow chard
- four types of kale
- four types of mustard greens
- pea shoots
- fava greens
- cranberry hibiscus
- Surinam spinach
- Brazilian spinach
- pumpkin leaves
- sweet potato leaves
- taro leaves
- cassava leaves (boiled first separately)
- comfrey
- borage
- amaranth
- landcress
- sorrel
- kang kong
- okinawan spinach
- mushroom plant
- broccoli leaves
- celery leaves
- beetroot leaves
- chickweed
- purslane
- dandelion
- lamb’s quarters
- dock
- nettle
- wood sorrel
- lush young cobbler’s pegs
- nasturtium leaf
- young turmeric leaves
- young QLD arrowroot leaves
- young pomegranate leaves
- young fig leaves
- young choko leaves
- yarrow leaves
- welsh onion leaves
You get the picture. This is just the beginning really. There are so many edible greens everywhere. There’s no point struggling to grow one or two types when such abundance is possible easily in a polycultural resilient garden.
Make every day is different and delightful by expanding the repertoire of greens. Become a forager.
What greens do you favour and appreciate in your garden?
Happy gardening. Feel free to share this post.
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Hi Morag. I notice when I pick sweet potato leaves that they’re a bit sappy. Does that matter when you’re eating them raw?
Violet leaves, young mulberry and hibiscus leaves.