Malabar Spinach

(Basella alba L.) Green vines, (Basella rubra L) Red vines

A.K.A. Poi Calaloo, Ceylon-, Surinam-, Chinese-, or Vietnamese (mong toi )spinach, Malabar climbing spinach, broad bologi, poi baagi, calaloo and buffalo spinach.

Malabar is not a true spinach, but its leaves, which form on a vine, resemble spinach and are used in the same way. It comes from India, and is distributed widely in the tropics, particularly in moist lowlands. In Florida, it is rare, even in home gardens.

Typical of leaf vegetables, it is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, and high in protein per calorie. It is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber, valued for removing mucus and toxins from the body. The plant is also a rich source of chlorophyll.

Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fried with garlic and chile peppers. Use in Caldo Gallego as substitute for Acelga. Malabar Spinach is excellent for freezing for later use without loss of its excellent flavor.

How to Germinate and Grow

Seeds have hard coating and it is suggested to soak seeds in water overnight or the seed skin be scratched before planting, to improve the moisture absorbing process during the germination. The plant is almost insect-free and is very easy to grow.

LINKS

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BAAL2&photoID=baal2_002_ahp.tif

http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Basella+alba

http://www.meltingwok.com/2007/02/asian-spinach-stir-fry.html