Green Malabar Spinach – 5 Seeds

Green Malabar Spinach Seeds. Green Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) is not a true spinach but a different species. It is an edible vine in the family Basellaceae. It is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. Even though it’s not a true spinach, it has the same taste.

This fast-growing plant is a soft-stemmed, twining vine that can grow up to 10 feet long as an annual (longer as a perennial) but generally remains smaller in most gardens. The dark green, glossy, oval to heart-shaped leaves are thick and semi-succulent with a mucilaginous texture. A delicious green that can be grown as an annual in many areas or as a perennial in sub-tropical areas.

Green Malabar Spinach has white flowers and green vines. The leaves and stem contain mucilage, so it can appear slimy when broken off the vine. This mucilage is a great source of soluble fiber, much like pectin in apples.

The vine will grow rapidly in the heat of summer all the way through autumn.

Common Names: Malabar Spinach, Vine Spinach, Creeping Spinach, Ceylon Spinach and Indian spinach.

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Green Malabar Spinach Culinary Uses

• The edible leaves (and shoots) of Basella alba resemble spinach with a mild, slightly peppery flavor with a hint of citrus and are used in the same way.
• The young leaves can be eaten raw mixed in a green salad, and steamed or boiled to be used like cooked spinach.
• Because of the mucilagenous nature, it can also be used to thicken soups and stews.
• The leaves can be eaten throughout the season, but once plants start flowering, the leaves become bitter.

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Growing Green Malabar Spinach

• Soaking the Green Malabar Spinach Seeds in water overnight before planting or scarifying the seed with a file, sandpaper or even a knife, will speed up germination.
• Germination will take three weeks or longer at temperatures between 18-24 C.
• Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost date.
• Transplant in the garden once the soil has warmed, placing plants at least a foot apart.
• Seed may also be planted directly in the garden. Direct sow Malabar spinach seeds  two to three weeks after the last frost date.
• Grow in rich, fertile, moisture-retentive soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade.
• Use a slow-release fertilizer.