Content
- 1 Description of spinach-raspberry
- 2 Varieties of strawberry spinach
- 3 Beneficial properties of strawberry spinach
- 4 How to eat strawberry spinach
- 5 Strawberry Spinach Recipes
- 6 Contraindications
- 7 Features of growing spinach-raspberries
- 8 Planting and caring for strawberry spinach
- 9 Harvesting
- 10 Conclusion
- 11 Reviews of strawberry spinach
Raspberry spinach, or strawberry spinach, is quite rare in gardens in Russia. This plant does not belong to traditional garden crops, however, it also has its own circle of admirers. Despite certain contraindications, most people can eat strawberry spinach quite calmly, without fear of consequences.
Description of spinach-raspberry
Spinach-raspberry grows wild in many countries, mainly in mountainous areas and foothills. There are 2 main varieties of strawberry spinach. This is the multileaf goosefoot, whose homeland is Southern Europe, Asia, New Zealand, as well as the capitate goosefoot, which was first discovered in North America. The species differences between them are minimal. A photo of a branch of strawberry spinach is shown below.
The main characteristics of strawberry spinach are given in the table below:
Parameter | Meaning |
Type | Annual herbaceous plant of the Aramantaceae family |
Synonymous names | Strawberry Beetroot, Indian Ink, Strawberry Sticks, Goosefoot Strawberry, Goosefoot, Common Zminda |
Appearance | Compact bush up to 0.8 m high |
Stems | Green, straight, ribbed |
Leaves | Diamond or triangular, arrow-shaped, corrugated, bright green |
Flowers | Numerous, small, ripen in the axils of the leaves, grow together as they mature |
Berries | Drupes of fused flowers, up to 2 cm, bright red |
In appearance, strawberry spinach berries more closely resemble raspberries rather than strawberries. They reach full maturity a few months after emergence. At this time, they become soft and wrinkle easily, making them difficult to collect.
Varieties of strawberry spinach
There are few varieties of strawberry spinach. This is due to the limited use of this vegetable in cooking. Selection work in this direction was not purposefully carried out. In most agricultural firms and stores, there is usually no mention of the varieties of this plant; the seeds are sold under one name. In some sources you can find mention of strawberry spinach varieties Strawberry Sticks, Grilyazh, Victoria and some others, which were grown by gardeners in the Russian Federation. However, practice shows that there are practically no varietal differences between them.
Beneficial properties of strawberry spinach
In addition to culinary properties, the plant also has many beneficial properties. It contains the following elements:
- Oxalic acid.
- Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, E, K, N.
- Beta carotene.
- Microelements (magnesium, calcium, iron).
Strawberry spinach is a good source of protein. Its content can reach up to 2.9% of the total mass of the plant. In addition, the plant has a low calorie content, only 22 kcal.
The rich content of nutrients makes it possible to use strawberry spinach for medicinal purposes. It has a good effect on the cardiovascular system, normalizes digestion and metabolism. Consumption of this vegetable also has a beneficial effect on reproductive function, increases potency, and reduces the risk of rickets, scurvy, and tuberculosis. Eating spinach normalizes pregnancy in women and strengthens the immune system.
How to eat strawberry spinach
All parts of strawberry spinach are edible. Young leaves and stems are used to make salads and green cabbage soup. They will not add any special taste, but they will greatly add nutritional value to the finished dish. Strawberry spinach leaves are dried for further brewing vitamin tea or preparing an infusion; they can be fermented in a similar way to cabbage leaves.
Strawberry Spinach Recipes
The berries of this plant are used as one of the components of pies filling, they can be used to decorate salads. Often, colorless compotes or tinctures are colored with strawberry spinach berries. Despite the name, the fruits have virtually no taste or aroma, so they are practically not used in their pure form. The sweetish taste appears in the berries only when fully ripe.Dried fruits are used to make vitamin tea. Here are some recipes that you can use strawberry spinach in:
- Kvass. To prepare, you will need 1 liter of strawberry spinach berries, 2 liters of warm boiled water, 500-750 g of sugar. Do not wash the berries, mash them thoroughly and add water. Add sugar, mix well, pour into a bottle and put in a warm place. The yeast contained in the berries will begin to ferment the prepared wort. After about 3 days, the finished kvass can be drained from the sediment, filtered and stored in a cool place.
- Jam. Since strawberry spinach berries are practically tasteless, they can be used as a vitamin supplement to any other jam. Or vice versa, add other ingredients to the spinach jam, with a more pronounced taste and aroma. To prepare the base, the syrup, you need granulated sugar and water in equal proportions. They are mixed and brought to a boil. Then spinach berries are poured into the syrup. The resulting mixture is brought to a boil, then removed from the heat and allowed to cool for 12 hours (or overnight). The procedure is repeated three times. The finished jam is poured into jars, sealed and stored in a cool place.
- Salad. To prepare various dishes, you can use not only the fruits, but also the leaves of strawberry spinach. For the salad you will need a bunch of green young leaves, 2 tbsp. l. sesame seeds, 1 tbsp. l. sake and 1 tsp. sugar and soy sauce. Sesame seeds must be crushed in a blender, then added to the spinach. Mix the remaining ingredients and season the salad.
Contraindications
The beneficial effect of eating strawberry spinach is significant, but the increased content of oxalic acid in the plant also has the opposite effect. Saponin, synthesized in leaves and fruits, is a toxic substance. Therefore, eating strawberry spinach leaves or fruits in large quantities can cause intestinal disorders.
Features of growing spinach-raspberries
Strawberry spinach can be grown without any problems in the Central, North-Eastern regions of Russia and further south. The plant is unpretentious, does not require special care, grows on any type of soil, and easily tolerates frost. Can be grown both in open ground and at home.
Often there is no care at all; strawberry spinach reproduces well by self-sowing. In this case, the crop can easily turn into a weed and will have to be dealt with.
Planting and caring for strawberry spinach
Planting and caring for strawberry spinach is not difficult. In some cases, sowing can be done only once; in the future, the plant will reproduce on its own. The plant is undemanding to its neighbors; it will grow well not only in a separate bed, but also next to peppers or tomatoes, in the aisles of carrots or beets.
Planting strawberry spinach
Planting strawberry spinach is done after the soil has warmed up sufficiently. You can use seed and seedling planting; the second is more labor-intensive, but allows you to get a harvest faster.The beds must be dug up in advance, adding additional fertilizer. It is preferable to use organic matter, rotted manure or humus.
Growing strawberry spinach from seeds
Strawberry spinach seeds must be stratified before planting by keeping them in the refrigerator for several days. This will increase their germination rate. After stratification, the seeds are soaked for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. The prepared seeds are sown in rows in beds to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. After this, they must be sprinkled with earth or sand. The bed needs to be watered and covered with film until shoots appear. It usually takes 10-12 days before the first shoots appear, then the cover must be removed. Seeds can also be sown before winter. In this case, fresh leaves can be picked already in May.
Growing strawberry spinach seedlings
You can sow strawberry spinach seeds for seedlings as early as April. It is preferable to use individual peat cups, this will avoid picking. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. After this, the soil is moistened, and the cups are covered with film and put away in a dark, warm place. 10-12 days after emergence, the film is removed and the pots with seedlings are placed on the window.
After 4-6 full-fledged leaves are formed on the plants, they can be transplanted into open ground.
Watering and fertilizing
Strawberry spinach does not tolerate dry soil well, so it is necessary to moisten the soil regularly. It is best to water at the root, in a thin stream. The plant does not require fertilizing. In spring, the bushes can be fed with infusion of ammonium nitrate, this will enhance the growth of green mass.In the future, it will be enough to fertilize with an infusion of ash or a solution of complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.
Weeding and loosening
When planting using seeds, weeding should be approached especially carefully. From the moment of planting until the first shoots appear, 1.5-2 weeks may pass, during which time the weed can grow significantly and is guaranteed to choke out weak spinach sprouts. After the emergence of seedlings, it is better to mulch the beds with peat or humus. This will not only serve as a deterrent to the growth of weeds, but will also ensure the preservation of moisture in the soil.
Protection from diseases and pests
The appearance of diseases on strawberry spinach is quite rare. This may only be due to the neglect of plantings or unfavorable weather conditions. Most often, fungal diseases may appear on plants in the form of spots or plaque on the leaves. In this case, the affected plant should be destroyed. Insect pests practically do not appear on strawberry spinach. They are not attracted to tasteless fruits and leaves with a high content of oxalic acid.
Video about growing spinach-raspberries:
Harvesting
The concept of “harvest” is quite difficult to apply to strawberry spinach, since all its parts are edible. Young greens for preparing salads can be picked before flowering; later they become tough and bitter, although they do not lose their beneficial properties. From August the fruits begin to ripen on the bush. Even though they are bright red, this is not a sign of ripeness. The fruits become fully ripe only in the fall. By this time, they acquire a dark burgundy color, become soft and wrinkle easily. At this time, sweetness appears in their taste.
Such berries are cut along with the stem and then carefully separated.
Conclusion
Eating strawberry spinach is very healthy, since this plant is a real storehouse of vitamins and microelements. It contains more protein than milk powder. Despite this, its cultivation is quite limited. This is due to the fact that the culture is rather little known, and the fruits do not have any memorable taste. Despite this, strawberry spinach, a description and photo of which are given in this article, is gradually gaining popularity among gardeners, largely due to its unpretentiousness and independent propagation.
Also out of curiosity, I once bought seeds and now they sow themselves year after year. They write that they don’t like the berries, but I like them, although no one except me in the family appreciated the sweet taste, even I would say, cloying (apparently that’s why most people don’t like it) with a hint of grassiness and a lot of seeds in the berries, which of course also adds to it minus. Absolutely not whimsical - sits on its own, I don’t really water it. Overall, I think it’s worth trying this spinach, if you haven’t tried it yet