Warrigal / NZ Spinach

DESCRIPTION

A green vegetable native to many countries in the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, Warrigal Greens are very similar in flavour and properties to foods like spinach and silverbeet. Legal note: The mature leaves of this plant require an extra minute of preparation (blanching in hot water) if you consume them on a regular basis, to avoid the build up of oxalates in your body - which can contribute to kidney stones. It is safe to consume them raw on occasion - someone eating a leaf in the garden won't be poisoned.

POT CARE AND PLANTING

Warrigal is easy to care for in a pot temporarily, but you won't get the best harvest from it - transplant into a larger pot or a garden bed within 7 days. Soil level should be up to 5mm below the start of the lowest leaves.  

WATERING

As a native to this region, Warrigal is a very hardy, light water consumer - water it less than other things in your garden, once per day (early morning or late afternoon is best in summer), or give it a larger amount every few days instead - whichever works best for you.

SUN EXPOSURE

Warrigal is a fairly shade tolerant vegetable, and is probably one of the best for tucking into a spot that doesn't get enough sun for a big plant. Since it stays low and spreads out, I recommend planting it in an area of the garden where its trailing stems can spread out in the dappled sunlight underneath taller veggies, close to the front of your bed where you can reach it for frequent harvesting.

COMPANION PLANTING

Warrigal is considered an edible ground cover in the world of companion plants. With stems that only rise about 20cm off the ground, it can trail and branch for a couple of metres in every direction, taking root in new spots. Warrigal is the perfect habitat for native insects during the summer - don't worry about this plant taking over the bed though, because it will be killed off by the heavy frosts - you can look at it as free mulch, shading the soil from the hot sun, conserving water, and giving you something to eat at the same time. Will outcompete any young carrots that it meets along the way, so be sure to prune those spots back if you see that happening.

HARVESTING AND EATING

Packed with antioxidants, both the leaves and stem tips of Warrigal can be eaten at any time, as long as you make a point of blanching them first. It's not an emergency if you forget, it's just not good for your kidneys if you eat them raw on a regular basis, due to the oxalates. Oxalates are reduced by cooking and neutralised by calcium - a mineral present in Warrigal Greens, along with iron, and the vitamin C required to absorb plant-based iron. You can boost these nutritional properties and take care of your kidneys by consuming Warrigal Greens with citrus and dairy, for example, substituting it for spinach and cooking it with feta cheese and lemon as in the Greek dish Spanakopita. You can enjoy a few stem tips raw in a salad, but I advise making sure that any salad containing raw Warrigal Greens also contains cheese or a calcium rich substitute, and that only very young leaves and stems are eaten raw, and in small quantities. These guidelines might seem intimidating, but its well worth learning to include Warrigal Greens in your diet due to their health benefits - plus growing them encourages native insects and conserves water in the garden.

SEED SAVING AND PROPAGATION

 If you leave the plant in place until the frost kills it, you'll notice that the stems don't rot away quickly, and instead stay on the ground, covered in knobbly projections. Gather up some of these dead stems in autumn and place them in a big paper bag to dry out fully over winter - you'll probably need a few if you harvest all of them! The seeds are large with sharp points on them, so there's no need to try to break them up - just shake the bag to dislodge them from the stems, and check them for seeds still attached before discarding he larger pieces of material. These seeds will be good for many years, and can be a bit capricious. You should save your Warrigal seeds over the winter in something airtight. They're pretty easy to germinate - simply cover with about 10mm of soil and keep moist, when daytime temperatures are above about 18 degrees. Be patient, these seedlings will emerge when and how they want to, with multiple sprouting from each seed - you can carefully cut the extras in half with scissors and just keep the strongest one from each seed.  In Armidale, experienced gardeners know that frost tender veggies can't be planted outside until Melbourne Cup Day. Heavy frosts return here at Easter time, so your Warrigal will die back around that time each year.