SCIENTIFIC NAME: Gynura crepioides This tasty perennial vegetable is also known as Hong tsoi, dawn dewa, leaves of the gods, Mollucan spinach, handama, gynurae, and Cholesterol spinach. It’s a fast-growing, small ornamental shrub that produces large amounts of nutritious greens year after year. Its leaves are dark green on the surface and purple underneath. Okinawa spinach is native to Indonesia and well adapted to heat and humidity, but will grow under much drier conditions when compared to other tropical perennial vegetables.
Okinawa Spinach growing in our aquaponics system
How to Grow Okinawa Spinach
It’s a low, spreading shrub that forms a solid stand, reaching up to 1 meter in height. It rarely goes to seed. I’ve grown it for the last 10 years and never witnessed a flower/seed. It grows under variety of soil conditions, from heavy clays to sandy soils and tolerates high alkalinity. However, it does best in slightly acidic soil. Don’t worry about seeds. Its easy and less time consuming to propagate with cuttings. The technique is much the same as propagating basil or other herbs from cuttings.
- Cut off a strong stalk 15-20cm
- Remove most of the leaves, leaving just a few small healthy ones at the top.
- Place in a glass of water with the nodules in the water.
- Plant in soil when roots appear.
TIP: You can get away with planting an unrooted stalk in soil that is watered often, but rooting in water will improve your success rate. If you’re planting in an aquaponics system, you can just plant the stalks directly in the grow media and they’ll root quickly. Full sun or partial shade is best for good growth. Heavy shade will inhibit growth. It’s generally pest free but in rainy seasons with high humidity I’ve dealt with white flies. One solution is to give a hard spray with the hose daily and/or wipe the leaves with your fingers. As a last resort, you can also use a neem oil based spray. Keeping it constantly cut back will also improve the strength and resilience of the plant. TIP: You can grow Okinawa spinach in colder climates buy potting them indoors during winter and planting them in the garden after the last frost. You can even get extras ready and rooted in water to maximize your first planting. Planting as a Ground Cover Okinawa spinach can be used as an edible ground cover or an edible border plant. I recommend using it to make the most of your garden space. This can be done by growing it under taller vegetables like kale, and eggplant and around the edges of fruit trees. Not only does it help shade the soil around your trees, but it’s a beautiful edible ornamental. Or…..Edimental?
Are Longevity spinach and Okinawa spinach the same plant?
They’re commonly mixed up. While closely related and similar uses, they are not the same plant. Longevity spinach (Gynura Procumbens) is green and lower creeping, while Okinawa spinach (Gynura Crepioides) has it’s tell tale purple undersides. Longevity spinach also has a more potent flavor than Okinawa spinach. https://survivalgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/longevity-spinach-gynura-procumbens.jpg
Longevity spinach Gynura Procumbens
Okinawa spinach Gynura Crepioides
How to Eat Okinawa Spinach
The leaves are crisp and mild and can be eaten raw in salads or added to other dishes, but if large quantities are to be consumed it is recommended that they first be cooked because of the high levels of oxalate that they contain. Oxalates are common among most leafy greens and bind to minerals such as iron and calcium thereby inhibiting absorption. I wouldn’t worry about eating salads, however oxalate issue tend to arise (as with many other traditional spinach varieties) when people start drinking massive amounts blended into smoothies. Okinawa spinach is great in stews, stirfrys, soups, casseroles and just about anything you’d put spinach in. I love fried it up in some butter or pig fat and mixing it with garlic chives in scrambled eggs. It’s also a great mixer in cucumber and celery based salads. ⬇️⬇️ Check the video below for an amazing Okinawa spinach summer salad. ⬇️⬇️