Strawberry spinach: cultivation, useful properties, recipes

Raspberry spinach, or strawberry spinach, is quite rare in gardens. 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 for the consequences.

Description of spinach-raspberry

Spinach-raspberry grows wild in many countries, mainly in mountainous regions and foothills. There are 2 main varieties of strawberry spinach. This is a multi-leaved gauze, whose birthplace is Southern Europe, Asia, New Zealand, as well as capitate gauze, which was first discovered in North America. Species differences between them are minimal. A photo of a branch of strawberry spinach is presented below.

The main characteristics of strawberry spinach are given in the table below.:

In appearance, strawberry spinach berries resemble raspberries more than strawberries. They reach full maturity in a few months from the moment of germination. At this time, they become soft, wrinkle easily, so collecting them is difficult.

Varieties of strawberry spinach

There are few varieties of strawberry spinach. This is due to the limited use of this vegetable in cooking. Breeding work in this direction has not been purposefully carried out. In most agricultural firms and shops, there is usually no mention of the varieties of this plant, the seeds are sold under one name. In some sources, one can find mention of varieties of strawberry spinach Strawberry Sticks, Grilyazh, Victoria and some others, which were cultivated by gardeners. However, practice shows that there are practically no varietal differences between them.

Useful properties of strawberry spinach

In addition to culinary, the plant also has a lot of useful properties. It contains elements such as:

• Oxalic acid.
• Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, E, K, N.
• Beta-carotene.
• Trace elements (magnesium, calcium, iron).

Strawberry spinach is a good source of protein. Its content can reach up to 2,9% in 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 medical purposes. It has a good effect on the cardiovascular system, normalizes digestion and metabolism. The use of this vegetable has a positive effect on reproductive function, increases potency, reduces the risk of rickets, scurvy, and tuberculosis. The use of spinach normalizes the course of pregnancy in women, strengthens the immune system.

How to eat strawberry spinach

All parts of strawberry spinach are edible. Young leaves and stems are used for making salads and green cabbage soup. They will not add any special taste, but they will add a lot of nutrition to the finished dish. Strawberry spinach leaves are dried for further brewing of vitamin tea or infusion, they can be fermented by analogy with cabbage leaves.

Strawberry Spinach Recipes

The berries of this plant are used as one of the components of the filling for pies, they can be used to decorate salads. Often, colorless compotes or tinctures are tinted with strawberry spinach berries. Despite the name, the fruits have practically no taste and aroma, so they are practically not used in their pure form. A sweetish aftertaste appears in berries only during the period of full maturity. Dried fruits are used to make vitamin tea. Here are a few recipes that can use strawberry spinach:

1. Kvass. For cooking, you will need strawberry spinach berries in the amount of 1 liter, 2 liters of warm boiled water, 500-750 g of sugar. Do not wash the berries, knead well, pour water. Add sugar, mix well, pour into a bottle and put in a warm place. The yeast contained on the berries will begin to ferment the cooked wort. After about 3 days, the finished kvass can be drained from the sediment, filtered and put in a cool place.

   

2. 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 with a more pronounced taste and aroma to the spinach jam. To prepare the base – syrup, granulated sugar and water are needed in equal proportions. They are mixed and brought to a boil. Then the spinach berries are poured into the syrup. The resulting mixture is brought to a boil, then removed from heat and allowed to cool for 12 hours (or overnight). The procedure is repeated three times. The finished jam is poured into jars, corked and stored in a cool place.

   

3. Salad. For the preparation of various dishes, you can use not only the fruits, but also the leaves of strawberry spinach. For a salad, you 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 add them to the spinach. Mix the rest of the ingredients and dress the salad.

   

Противопоказания

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, the use of leaves or fruits of strawberry spinach 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 Our Country and to the south. The plant is unpretentious, does not require special care, grows on any type of soil, easily tolerates frosts. It can be grown both outdoors and at home.

Often there is no care at all for him; strawberry spinach reproduces well by self-sowing. In this case, the culture can easily turn into a weed, and it will have to be fought.

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 neighbors, it will grow well not only on a separate bed, but also next to peppers or tomatoes, in the aisles of carrots or beets.

planting strawberry spinach

Strawberry spinach is planted after the soil has warmed up sufficiently. You can use seed and seedling planting, the second is more laborious, but allows you to get a crop faster. The beds must be dug up in advance, making additional fertilizers. It is preferable to use organic matter, rotted manure or humus.

Growing strawberry spinach from seed

Strawberry spinach seeds must be stratified before planting by keeping them in the refrigerator for several days. This will increase their germination. After stratification, the seeds are soaked for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. Prepared seeds are sown in rows in beds to a depth of 1,5-2 cm. After that, they must be powdered with earth or sand. The bed needs to be watered and covered with a film until shoots appear. Before the first shoots appear, it usually takes 10-12 days, then the shelter must be removed. Seeds can be sown before winter. Fresh leaves in this case can be plucked as early as May.

Growing strawberry spinach seedlings

It is possible to sow the seeds of strawberry spinach 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 that, the soil is moistened, and the cups are covered with foil and cleaned in a dark, warm place. 10-12 days after germination, 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 top dressing

Strawberry spinach does not tolerate drying out of the soil, so it is necessary to moisten the ground regularly. It is best to water under the root, in a thin stream. The plant is undemanding for feeding. In the spring, 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 infusion of ash or a solution of complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.

Weeding and loosening

With the seed method of planting, weeding should be approached especially carefully. From the moment of planting to the appearance of the first shoots, 1,5-2 weeks can pass, during which time the weed grass can grow significantly and is guaranteed to suffocate weak spinach sprouts. After the emergence of seedlings, the beds are best mulched with peat or humus. This will not only serve as a deterrent to weed growth, but will also ensure the preservation of moisture in the soil.

Protection against diseases and pests

The appearance of diseases on strawberry spinach is quite a rarity. This may be due only to the neglect of landings or to adverse weather conditions. Most often, fungal diseases can appear on plants in the form of spots or plaque on the leaves. In this case, the affected plant should be destroyed. Insect pests on strawberry spinach practically do not appear. Tasteless fruits and leaves with a high content of oxalic acid do not attract them.

Video about growing spinach-raspberries: 

Harvesting

It is rather difficult to apply the concept of “harvest” to strawberry spinach, since all its parts are edible. Young greens for salads can be cut off before flowering, later it becomes hard and bitter, although it does not lose its beneficial properties. From August, fruits begin to ripen on the bush. Despite the fact that they are bright red, this is not a sign of ripeness. The fruits become fully ripe only in autumn. By this time, they acquire a maroon color, become soft and crumple easily. At this time, sweetness appears in their taste.

Such berries are cut along with the stem, and then carefully separated.

Conclusion

It is very useful to eat strawberry spinach, because this plant is a real storehouse of vitamins and microelements. It contains more protein than milk powder. Despite this, it is grown quite limitedly. 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, the description and photo of which is given in this article, is gradually gaining popularity among gardeners, largely due to unpretentiousness and self-propagation.

Strawberry Spinach Reviews