Red Malabar Spinach/Indian Spinach (Basella alba `rubra`) - Exotic leafy vegetable for balcony and garden

When summer days get hotter and regular garden spinach has long since bolted, this exotic climbing plant really starts to shine! Red Malabar spinach is not only an absolute enrichment for your diet but also a spectacular eye-catcher for your garden, balcony, or terrace. With its vibrant crimson tendrils and succulent, glossy leaves, it brings color, flavor, and an extra portion of tropical flair directly to your home.

Scope of delivery: Per young plant in a 7cm pot (approx. 10cm)

Origin, Tradition & Special Features: The Heat-Loving Climbing Wonder

Originally, Red Malabar Spinach (Basella alba 'Rubra'), often called Ceylon Spinach or Indian Spinach due to its Asian roots, comes from the warm, humid tropics of India and Southeast Asia. There, it is not just a vegetable, but a historically deeply rooted staple food! In traditional Indian cuisine, it daily finds its way into aromatic lentil dals, is fried into crispy pakoras, or stewed with potatoes and mustard seeds in hearty curries. In the Philippines, where the plant is called "Alugbati," it is the indispensable base for traditional, warming vegetable stews. Furthermore, this climbing marvel has a firm place in Ayurvedic health teachings, where it is highly valued for its slightly cooling and digestive properties.

Unlike our native leafy spinach, it loves full sun and midsummer temperatures. Botanically speaking, it's not even a true spinach, but it's used very similarly in the kitchen – with the big advantage that it provides you with an abundant harvest precisely when conventional leafy greens wither in the summer heat.

Red Tendrils and Impressive Height

Be sure to give this vigorous plant a trellis, a espalier on the house wall, or a few strong strings. The deep red, strong shoots elegantly wind their way upwards and easily reach a height of 2 to 3 meters within a summer – and under good, warm conditions, it can even climb significantly higher (4 meters and more are not uncommon!). The combination of the wine-red stems and the glossy dark green, thick-fleshed leaves makes this vigorous perennial an edible feast for the eyes and a perfect, fast-growing privacy screen. In late summer, it also adorns itself with small, delicate white-pink flowers, from which deep purple berries later develop.

Care & Wintering

• Care: As a child of the tropics, Ceylon spinach loves a full-sun, warm, and sheltered location. Plant it in loose, nutrient-rich soil. Since it grows extremely fast and forms a lot of foliage, it is quite thirsty and hungry. Water it regularly on hot days (without causing waterlogging) and provide it with a good organic fertilizer every few weeks.

• Wintering: Since it cannot tolerate any frost, Malabar spinach is often mistakenly grown as an annual plant here. However, it is naturally a perennial! You can easily overwinter it: As soon as temperatures drop below 10 °C in autumn, cut back the long tendrils generously and bring the pot indoors. In a bright place at approx. 15 °C (for example, in the stairwell, by a bright bedroom window, or in a conservatory), it will survive the cold season without problems and sprout vigorously again next spring.

Into the Kitchen – What to Make from Your Harvest:

The heart-shaped leaves are wonderfully crisp, almost succulently juicy, and have a mild, slightly earthy aroma with a fine, fresh citrus note. Harvesting is ongoing: simply snip off the leaves or the soft, upper shoot tips.

• The Juicy Summer Salad: The young, tender leaves taste fantastic raw. Their fleshy texture gives mixed salads a great bite and they don't wilt as quickly.

• From the Wok: Like real spinach, it can be wonderfully steamed or stir-fried in a hot wok. A huge advantage: it shrinks far less when cooked than regular spinach!

• The Natural Thickener: Similar to okra or aibika, the leaves contain valuable plant compounds that naturally thicken soups, dals, and curries slightly when cooked for longer.

Recipe Tip: Quick Sesame Garlic Spinach from the Wok

Since the leaves are so wonderfully fleshy, they are best prepared Asian-style in a wok. The super-short searing preserves the Ceylon spinach's great color and crisp bite.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bowl of Red Malabar Spinach / Ceylon Spinach (fresh leaves and soft shoot tips, washed)

• 3 cloves of garlic (sliced thinly)

• 1 tbsp light sesame oil (or peanut oil for frying)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• Optional: A squeeze of lime juice or some chili

Preparation:

1. Prepare: Let the washed spinach drain well. If necessary, cut large leaves in half, leave shoot tips whole.

2. Flavor: Heat the wok or a large pan until very hot. Add the oil and fry the garlic slices (and possibly chili) until golden for a few seconds – be careful not to let it turn bitter!

3. Stir-fry: Add the moist Ceylon spinach to the wok. Toss everything vigorously. It needs a maximum of 2 to 3 minutes. It should only wilt slightly but still have some structure in the middle.

4. Deglaze: Deglaze with the soy sauce, immediately remove from the heat, and arrange on a platter.

5. Garnish: Finish with toasted sesame seeds and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Bring this visual and culinary highlight into your bed or onto your balcony! The Red Malabar Spinach will reward you with rapid growth, vibrant colors, and a delicious, crisp harvest that you'll enjoy well into autumn.