By Emmy Ulmschneider
and Debbie Roland
Master Gardeners
In the last of the series on hot summer plants, let’s look at some tropical and subtropical greens that could become your new summer garden favorite. Fresh summer greens at the height of the summer heat are a treat and it turns out that there are a variety of tropical or subtropical greens that you can choose from. Some are eaten fresh; some are better lightly steamed or cooked; all are worth trying.
“Tropical Spinaches” is the catch all phrase for a host of different warm season greens: Chinese Spinach, Egyptian Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Okinawan Spinach and Longevity Spinach. Although we commonly refer to these as spinach, they are in different plant families from each other and the plant we commonly all call spinach. These “tropical spinaches” thrive easily in hot weather, and they are nutritious. Enjoy them raw, in a salad or smoothie or steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. Let’s look at a few of them.
- I have grown Malabar Spinach, Basella alba for years and love this summer green! A native of India this attractive plant has it all: eye appeal, yummy, and easily grown. You can treat it as an ornamental or a crop plant and it looks super growing on a trellis or a wall. Seeds or transplants are readily available. Remember though it is tropical and does best in the heat of summer and warm nights. You can eat the young leaves raw or cooked like spinach. I liked it best in stir fries. For more: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/malabar-spinach-basella-alba/
- Chinese Spinach, Vegetable Amaranth, or Red Callaloo, Amaranthus tricolor, goes by many common names depending on where it is grown. A quick note here, some native members of this genus are considered troublesome weeds, which gives you some idea of how fast and easily grown this genus is. Individual young leaves or the first rosettes add interest to a salad. Cooked or fresh, it is more nutritious than spinach or beet greens and has a higher protein content. The leaves and the flowers of another related Amaranth species, Celosia argentea or cockscomb can also be used as an edible green.
- Molokhia, Jute Mallow, or Corchorus, Corchorus olitorius, is a key ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes so much so that its leaves are commonly sold frozen or dried and ground into a powder. It is in the Malvaceae plant family just like okra. Fresh, use it like pesto in rice and lamb dishes or dried, as a thickener in soups. Sometimes, referred to as the king of vegetables, it also has a high protein and vitamin C content. Seeds are readily available online and are easily grown.
- You may know Purslane, Portulaca oleracea, as a garden weed. A native plant spread by native peoples, humans around the world have prized it for its taste and nutrition. There are cultivars available commercially or you can forage in your own yard for your personal, homegrown, warm season green. In either case try it fresh or cooked. For more see: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/common-purslane-portulaca-oleracea/
Cool down your summer garden, with some fresh, hot weather summer greens! You will be glad you did.
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700. Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources.”
