Post #79 Plant Profile: Malabar Spinach (Basella alba)
Let’s celebrate the wonder of fresh spinach leaves during the peak of our hottest season! If you are anything like us here at South Florida Forest Gardens, you are a green leafy hound! We are always seeking out deliciously edible greens that are easily harvestable year-round. We’ve got a winner here.
Malabar spinach, also called Chinese, Ceylon, and Indian spinach, this edible perennial is a well known and loved food source across much of Asia. Related to Ulluco, a root or leaf vegetable grown at high elevations in cooler climates, Malabar spinach is much better suited to the heat and humidity of our South Florida climate.
Rejoice, a fresh green that will not wilt and die or bolt, turn bitter, and go to seed at the hottest time of the year!
Okay, so it is not a true spinach, but it tastes and acts darn close to it. It’s actually in a different botanical family. It is a vining plant that is considerably more mucilaginous than common spinach (Spinacia oleraceae).
But hey, you say tomato, we say tomah-to, right? Any good green that readily grows in the thick of South Florida’s dog days I will happily grow and feast upon.
So, let’s learn more about this fantastic perennial vine.
How do you eat Malabar Spinach?
Widely eaten across Asia, where it grows prolifically, malabar spinach shows up in everything from dal curries to specialty dishes cooked with fish bones. Its texture and taste profile has an affinity for seafood, but it is also used in many vegetarian dishes.
This leafy green is also commonly seen in stir fries as well as deep fried, served with a dipping sauce. Cooked with fragrant spices and aromatics, it is also seen pureed and served over rice for a quick, nutritious dish.
You can cook it just as you might most greens, but we highly suggest a higher heat stir fry. A quick steam or boil could result in a mucilaginous mess reminiscent of okra gone wrong (if you pick up what we’re laying down).
How do you grow Malabar Spinach?
This perennial beauty prefers full sun and fertile soil. It will flourish in moist, yet well drained soil. A truly tropical plant, preferring temps above 70 and up to 90, even up to 100, it can still be susceptible to sunburn. Simply use a shade screen cover during the hottest days and weeks of the season. No shade screen? Try an umbrella.
It can be transplanted easily by rooting tip cuttings briefly in water. Once the roots shoots out, plant the cuttings in soil.
Malabar spinach can also be grown fairly easily from seed with a little TLC. The seeds do best with gentle scarification and/or an overnight soaking before planting. Then just poke them in the ground as you would a soaked chard seed. Keep the soil moist but not soaked. Do not let it dry out completely while the plant is germinating. As soon as you see a few inches of growth, you are in business!
Where can you find Malabar Spinach for sale?
If you don’t feel like growing it yourself, or you want to give it a whirl on the dinner table before committing to a full garden row of the stuff, peruse Asian grocery stores or nearby farmer’s markets to find a bunch or 2 ready to cook.
It’s not common to find malabar spinach in plant nurseries, but you might! If you are committed to growing it, and you like to shop local, It never hurts to take a look. They may at the very least carry the seeds. If not, go online, the seeds are easy to find and some stores will even rush you starts.
Word to the Wise
Interestingly, although malabar spinach is not in the same family as common spinach, they share yet another commonality – high oxalate content. These organic compounds found in some plant foods can bind with calcium and iron, inhibiting their absorption in the body.
Some people are more susceptible to the ill effects of oxalates, and some have no issues whatsoever. Just something to keep in mind if you are regularly enjoying malabar spinach in your diet rotation.
Beautify your garden
As we explore and expand on these perennial forest garden plant profiles we implore you to add splashes of colors and vines, to invite aesthetic appeal alongside edibility and functionality. For most of us, our forest garden also doubles as our suburban yard. For those who must acquiesce to HOA rules and regulations, beauty must be intertwined with all you are growing for food too.
We are not saying edibles are not gorgeous, because they certainly are, but some of them shine most during one season alone. Planting a garden with successive blooms and fruits throughout the year adds such a gorgeous dynamic to your garden space. You may even see heads turn, checking out your newest growth throughout the season. Make daily walks exciting for your neighbors!
What are you most excited about growing right now?! What is shining bright in your garden and turning heads? Share in the comments below and let us know what time of year/season it is for you. We know some of our avid readers are in similar climates as South Florida yet reside in Australia, Hawaii or other amazing places around this beautiful earth. Tell us about it!
Until Next time,
Happy Gardening,
Mary