Tasty, Leafy Green That’s as Fun to Grow as it is to Eat

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

The tasty, leafy green that’s as fun to grow and eat as it is to say. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

tasty
Atriplex_hortensis/Orach
By Stefan.lefnaer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia image

Orach is also known as salt bush or red mountain spinach. Like its cousins spinach and chard, orach contains a surprising amount of salt in its leaves.

It’s also a great source of iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorous, and vitamin C. In fact, a single serving of orach has about double the vitamin C you’d find in lemons or oranges. It also has a startling amount of antioxidants, which benefit the body on so many different levels.

There are some awesome varieties you can plant, such as Deep Red Orach, Lime Green, Magenta Magic, and Triple Purple to name a few. Planting Orach in the summer is great because the gorgeous leafy greens are prone to bolting in the hot weather. While it can survive a bit of drought, it will be healthier and more flavorful if you water it consistently.

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The young, tender leaves are really lovely eaten raw in salads and wraps especially if you like colorful food. You can use them in lieu of other baby greens in just about any recipe.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.

Tasty, Leafy Green That’s as Fun to Grow as it is to Eat