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Egyptian Spinach: Got Spinach Frustration? Grow This Heat Lovin One Instead

October 24, 2017 By: Anna6 Comments

Are you completely frustrated by grown spinach? I am since spinach doesn’t like the heat and our springs are just too short.   Since I discovered a spinach alternative,  heat loving Egyptian spinach (also known as Jews’ Mallow,)  I no longer grow spinach.  And I have never looked back.

Anna, tell me more.

I thought you would never ask.

First things first. Egyptian spinach doesn’t resemble or even taste like spinach. Its latin name is Corchorus olitorius, C. capsularis. It is a member of the mallow family.  However, it is a tasty green that can be substituted for spinach.

In Egypt, this green wonder is referred to as Molokia or Molokhiya.  Legend has it that Cleopatra drank Jews’ Mallow soup every day to enrich her beauty.  The leaves are rich in minerals and very nutritious.

How Does it Grow?

I grew mine from seed indoors 6 weeks before frost date, and planted it after frost passed. It loves the sun and heat.  In fact, it doesn’t seem to start growing until the summer turns on the heat.

It can easily grow to 4 feet or higher with lanced  like leaves in a shrub like form.  Don’t plant your plants too close together since the plant grows outward and needs about 2 to 3 feet of space.

Wait until the plant is at least two feet high and cut the top six inches of the plant.  The leaves will grow back quickly.

Egyptian spinach

The more you cut, the more the plant prospers.  By the end of the summer, it produces small yellow flowers.

In my area, it is an annual but would be a perennial in a warm weather area.

You can buy seeds HERE.

How Do you Cook with Egyptian Spinach?

 

Egyptian Spinach

In Egypt, the Egyptian spinach is eaten fresh.  The leaf spine is removed from the leaf, and chopped up.  Coriander and garlic are added and the mixture is made into a soup to be served over rice with or without beef or lamb.  (See here is a recipe for soup.)

In other parts of the Middle East, the leaves are dried and rendered into powder.  It is used for soups.

You may be able to find fresh or frozen  Egyptian spinach in a middle eastern store.

Is this a leafy green you are willing to try?

Join the Conversation:

Have you ever grown Egyptian Spinach?

 

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    Elizabeth says

    December 27, 2017 at 9:34 am

    Thank you, inspiring. I also want to grow it and found it is commonly eaten all over africa. I love the zinnias in the pic, have been trying to get hold of those seeds for years.

    Reply
  2. 2

    Colleen says

    March 31, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    I have tried to grow it from seed for 5 yrs. Each year a few survive and I plant them out, but many seedlings die before I can plant them out. I just sprayed the seedlings with fungicide today in hope that will help prevent damping off or another fungus disease. Do you have any advice on how to prevent seedlings dying before you can plant them out?
    I am a very experienced gardener. This is the only seedling I have troubles with.

    Reply
    • 3

      Anna says

      April 4, 2018 at 8:56 pm

      Colleen, are you repotting them? Are you growing them under lights? Are you using sterile soil mix? Give me some more details. Anna

      You might want to try growing it in a potting soil mix in a larger pot (like 4 inch) so you don’t have to repot them until they go in the garden. I don’t have this problem but found I do with sesame and cumin. They hate being repotted.

      Reply
  3. 4

    niKi says

    February 7, 2020 at 1:01 am

    Hey juSt wanna ask. my Egyptian spinach tend to flower when. Is baby plant. Will that affect the growth?

    Reply
    • 5

      Anna says

      February 25, 2020 at 7:30 pm

      That is really weird. It usually doesn’t flower when it is baby plant. It may effect the growth.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Grow Spinach (& Why You'd Want To!) - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    April 2, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    […] In warm weather and climates, try an alternative to spinach. Some plants like amaranth and lambsquarters (which people generally regard as a weed) can work like spinach in the kitchen. Perpetual spinach chard (Beta vulgaris ssp cicla) can also handle the heat. A plant known as New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) can be used fresh, but isn’t recommended for cooking. A perennial vine called Malabar spinach (Basella rubra) is a popular replacement for spinach in warmer climates, or consider Egyptian Spinach, which you can find more about at Green Talk. […]

    Reply

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