My ideal garden is one where, at any time, I can wander outside my door and forage a bundle load of leafy greens (and other things too) to be eaten both raw and cooked – real food right there in front of me.

This leafy vegetable, Okinawa Spinach (Gynura bicolor), is a delight to include in my forage circuit, not only because it is such an easy plant to grow in warmer areas, but because how beautiful it looks too.  I use the leaves and shoots in salads, but also in anything that I want a ‘spinach-type’ green – sushi rolls, stir fries, miso soup, curries. In Japan this leaf is popular as tempura too. 

Okinawa spinach is grown in many places as a medicinal vegetable because of it’s nutrient density. It is rich in iron and potassium, calcium, vitamin A and other important nutrients, and has be nicknamed the cholesterol spinach for helping to reduce cholesterol.

Even though this is called Okinawa Spinach, it is actually a native from Indonesia and is grown in many parts of Asia. It is an amazingly easy plant to grow that strikes well from cuttings. It likes both full sun partially shady sites as long as there is enough water and good soil. It grows as a low dense mound of lovely leaves and is a perennial, as long as the area is frost free.

The more you harvest the leafy tips, the more it will keep growing and looking good, this does make a fabulous forage green. This plant is an excellent choice for a hanging basket, verandah pot or even the kitchen windowsill. As always keep it well mulched.

Making our edible landscapes as aesthetically pleasing should be a priority because it encourages us to bring them closer to the house. Attractive landscaping around your home can be entirely edible. The sense of freedom this brings is quite remarkable.

Just think of all the great reasons why having free natural food, herbs, teas, medicines at your fingertips is such an important thing to be doing – for our wellbeing and planetary wellbeing.

It may not feel a necessity to do this (although in many places it is), but for the freshest and most nutrient dense food possible, for resilience, for future proofing, for effortless abundance, for sharing, for cultivating eco-literate children, for even saving money on our good food bill, surrounding ourselves with food is a no-brainer.

What we also need is an expansion of the general perception of what a kitchen garden is – from Beatrix Potter-esque beds of vegies to perennial polycultures that are robust and regenerative, that create a healthy habitat for wildlife, and that provide more food and other resources for the people dwelling in that landscape.

Which plants in your edible landscape do you most appreciate for their beauty and form, perennial nature as well as their productive value?