Malabar Spinach

Russ worked at a nursery here in Jennings and really enjoyed working there.  He learned so much about plants.  One day he purchased a couple of plants that we had never heard of - Malabar Spinach.  Malabar spinach is a not related to regular spinach.  It is a plant native of India that has meaty leaves similar in texture and taste to regular spinach.

It is a vining plant that is not only edible, but a climbing ornamental as well.  We planted them in our garden and they have really thrived.  As you can see in the photo below, it has vined all the way to the top of the trellis that is 10 feet tall.

Vining Malabar Spinach

The leaves are a little smaller than the palm of your hand and are somewhat heart shaped.  We've harvested all the lower leaves that can be reached without a ladder.  From now on we'll have to get something to stand on to harvest.  You cook them exactly as you would regular spinach.  We've really enjoyed eating this new variety for our garden.

Vines 10 feet high and growing

After researching a bit on the Internet, I think the cultivar that Russ purchased for us is the 'Rubra' or red-stemmed variety.  Notice the pretty red vine below.  The photo also highlights the meaty, spinach-like leaves.

Red-stemmed Malabar spinach

The vines produce pretty pink flowers that eventually turn into purple seeds.

Malabar spinach flowers/seeds

I'm definitely going to try to save some of these seeds for next year.  This plant is a 'keeper' for us in our garden.  We like the way it grows vertically, the way it looks, and the way it tastes.  Malabar Spinach gets a two-thumbs up rating from our family!