Has anyone tried Malabar spinach?
What was your experience?
How did it taste?
Was it easy to grow?
Did you grow from seed or cutting?
Did it really climb aggressively?
When did it no longer taste good or did it die off?
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We’ve had Malabar spinach in the community garden the last two years. It actually overwintered and came back. It did climb very aggressively, but seemed pretty drought tolerant. I was not a fan of the texture. Very slimy, like okra. Taste was pretty neutral—a little bitter.
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I read while preparing it you can use vinagar to reduce the slimy texture.
Also read that if it goes to flower it will get bitter. Cant wait to try it
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There are ways to cook okra so it’s not slimy. You can either soak it in vinegar, sear it with a little oil, mix with acidic veggies like tomatoes, or eat it raw. Which raw is my favorite way to eat it.
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Personally i like okra breaded and fried or in Gumbo
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I am a fiend for pickled okra, often to my own detriment.
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A grocery store in Clearwater has a huge selection of pickled things, including okra several ways and watermelon rind. Worth the trip,
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I agree with @Malissa on the okra, raw is very good, although I freeze some for later use such as gumbo. I always eat a few in the garden as I’m harvesting. I’ve also made pickled okra and love it too.
I grew Malibar spinach several years ago and it started slow. I had planted it next to cucumbers on the trellis (cattle panel). The cucumbers grew a lot before the Malibar spinach got much of a start and ended up over taking the spinach and I didn’t get much of a harvest from it. I recall not being too impressed by the lack of flavor. But it did come back for a few years until I kept planting other stuff around that bed and the spinach finally gave up.
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Ooohh…gotta go.
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