Raw Edible Plants of the World

[ShariV]

Yet it's called "Brazilian" spinach.  Go figure............

S

[Tommie]

I wonder if it would grow in TN. echonet.org has it but they are in FL.

[peach]

There is only one way to find out Tommie!!  get some and try, you could grow it in a pot in the shade in summer and put it somewhere warm for winter out of the frost and snow.

[Tommie]

I'll have to contact them and see if I can get some cuttings. Seems that's the way it's propagated?

[peach]

I wondered about that, I have never seen seeds although it does have some little flowers on it but I have never checked for seeds because I just put a piece in water and it roots so quickly.

[peach]

PINEAPPLE SAGE    -   S.elegans.syn.S.rutilans

A member of the sage family, hardy perennial bush 2 - 3 ft tall. Has bright red tubular flowers that you can suck sweet nectar out of the base like honeysuckle but not as sweet, eat the flowers while your at it.  The leaves are scented with pineapple.

Chopped leaves go well in a salad, fruit salad, or drinks.  Flowers make a for a pretty  garnish.

Bees love it and although I didn't think we had bumble bees in oz I have seen them on this plant.

I had a recipe once for ginger beer with pineapple sage leaves added to the bottle.  Must try this with water kefir.

[ShariV]

How could you NOT have bees?  They are the pollinators.

I have pineapple sage, but it looks nothing like this!  It looks just like the other sage, but has a variegated green & yellow leaf.  Never have seen any flowers, but maybe it doesn't get warm enough long enough around here.

S

[Tommie]

This seller has the seeds on ebay. Plus lots of other interesting things. The pineapple sage seeds are pretty pricey--$3.99 plus shipping for 10 seeds.

Shari, I was reading about it and the article said you can take it inside and it will bloom. It probably gets too cool where you are for it to really show its stuff. Oh, and Peach said bumblebees, not honey bees.

[Tommie]

About the Brazilian spinach, etc., etc., echonet.org has this to say about it:

Sissoo spinach is another name for this edible, perennial groundcover. This tropical vegetable is vigorous and spreading, but not considered invasive. The leaves are not slimy, and require steaming or boiling when served because of the presence of oxalates. Those that normally cannot stomach green vegetables usually do not mind this mild flavored green. It makes an excellent addition to dishes or can be eaten alone as a green. Samba lettuce thrives in 50% or more shade and benefits from nitrogen. Leaves will yellow in the absence of nitrogen, but will respond within days to a soil amendment.

[peach]

That is interesting about the sambu lettuce needing to be cooked, the lady I got the plant from said it was a salad plant and that is how I use it with no harmful effects.

Yes Shari we have honey bees but the bumblebees are introduced and are considered feral. There is a site that says to report them if you see them in your garden but they are so beautiful I didn't have the heart to report them

We also have these native bees in the garden http://www.aussiebee.com.au/blue_banded_bee.html there is usually only one per bush, they are half the size of a honey bee but their buzz is so loud you hear them before you see them.

I did find a picture of the variegated pineapple sage and it did have flowers like mine.  Maybe it is just too cold for the flowers.  I wish I had taken the picture a month ago before the rain washed most of the flowers off.  It was loaded with flowers and was a real picture.

I used to have fruit salad sage growing as well but it grew to about 8ft tall and lanky,  the stems would break or fall over all the time so I got rid of it, it was pretty here is a pic I found on line

[Tommie]

I suppose if you don't overdo it, it's okay to eat it raw. Here's something else I found where it was posted as "Brazilian spinach".

This low growing perennial vegetable is easily maintained and provides a year round supply of spinach once established. As the common name spinach implies there are oxalates in the leaf, however minute, we recommend cooking the leaf before eating.

As usual, you have posted ANOTHER beautiful picture! Could you not have cut the plant back so it would have bushed out more?

[peach]

I don't think it would make a difference Tommie, that seems to be the natural way it grows whereas the pineapple one is a nice shaped bush.

[peach]

Tommie, that Ebay seller has some beautiful and unusual plants but I couldn't find anywhere that you could read about each plant.  It doesn't matter though because I wouldn't be able to buy any and have them delivered to oz with our quarantine laws.

But doesn't it make you wonder about nature's beauty.

[peach]

I couldn't post this photo yesterday of the blue banded type of bees that we have in the garden, (not that this is my photo)

[Tommie]

Neat!