For years, our homestead diet has revolved around salads. They’re effortless to grow, beneficial for our health, and simple to prepare, making them staples of our daily menu. However, I must confess that a while ago, my creativity hit a roadblock when it came to making our endless array of salads exciting. To shake things up, I decided to explore alternative greens to add some variety to the mix.
This not only enhanced the flavor and nutritional value of my salads but also extended my green-growing season. As someone who lives in an area with scorching summers and unpredictable spring weather – where temperatures can fluctuate wildly from one day to another – I’ve found that these alternative greens help me avoid the bitter taste that can come from bolting lettuces.
If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, like I was, or simply looking for ways to incorporate more greens into your diet year-round, consider cultivating some of these tasty and nutritious alternatives in your own garden!
Borage
Borage, with its showy blooms and delicate flavor, is a versatile addition to any garden. Its attractive flowers make it an ideal companion plant for vegetables, attracting pollinators and providing a natural pest control. To reap the benefits of this edible, I typically sow extra seeds alongside my main borage plants. As the young leaves emerge, I harvest them over several weeks, using them in salads or as a cooked green if you prefer a softer texture.
Once the main plants have grown, I cut back the extras at ground level and chop them up for use in soups or other dishes.
Stinging Nettle
When cultivating stinging nettle, it’s essential to exercise caution. The plant’s name aptly reflects its properties – handle the leaves with bare hands, and you may soon be regretting your decision. To avoid this unpleasantness, it’s recommended that you wear gloves while harvesting the edible greens.
Fortunately, once stinging nettle is cooked or dried, the formic acid responsible for the stinging sensation is neutralized.
I find it practical to gather bunches of nettle, tie them with string, and hang them to dry on a laundry line, allowing the leaves to dry naturally.
The resulting dried product has a unique flavor profile that I enjoy adding to various salad dressings or using as an herbal supplement, similar to nori flakes or oregano. Dried nettle not only enhances the taste of dishes but also provides a refreshing quality that may contribute to its historical use in folk remedies for asthma and allergies.
Land Cress
I had been familiar with watercress prior to relocating to North Carolina. Its presence was a staple on the menus of upscale restaurants I frequented. Now, as a resident of this southern state, ‘creasy greens’ have become an integral part of my gardening lexicon and early spring salad repertoire. Creasy greens, a land cress relative of watercress, thrive in many regions worldwide during the early spring season.
These versatile greens excel both raw in salads and cooked with a hint of bacon grease and vinegar. While they are often foraged wild in my area, it’s also possible to cultivate them intentionally in your garden during the early spring or late fall seasons. Simply search for seeds under the Latin name Barbarea verna to get started.
Good King Henry
If you’re looking to eat like the Romans did, incorporating Good King Henry into your diet is a great place to start. This versatile plant offers a range of edible parts, including its leafy greens, which can be used as a spinach substitute. The leaves can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and the flower heads have a similar texture to broccoli and can be cooked like it too. The roots are also edible, with a flavor reminiscent of asparagus.
And, just like millet, the seeds contain saponin, making them suitable for grinding into flour for baking. However, before you start using the seeds, make sure to soak them first. Good King Henry is a perennial plant that thrives in zones 3-9 and does well in partial shade. The only challenge with growing this plant is getting it started, which requires fresh seeds and stratification in the soil.
Stratification simply means simulating nature’s process of overwintering in cold climates, where the seed germinates and grows the following spring. To replicate this process at home, place your seeds in a container with breathable soil, such as a mason jar covered with a cloth or coffee filter, and keep it in the fridge for a month. Make sure to maintain a consistent level of moisture, but avoid waterlogged soil that could lead to mold issues.
After stratification, start your seeds indoors or in a protected outdoor location in fertile garden soil. With proper care, you can enjoy a long-lasting crop of delicious greens that will add flavor and nutrition to your meals.
French Sorrel
I recall being told by locals in France that sorrel is best used in soups, a claim that initially left me skeptical. My experience was limited to a salad made with the leafy greens I’d purchased at a local market, which had an overwhelming lemony flavor that didn’t quite agree with my palate. However, friends assured me that it would be a hit in soups. Fast forward to today, and having sorrel in my own garden has allowed me to discover its versatility.
When young, the leaves are perfect for salads, but as they mature, their characteristic tang makes them an excellent addition to soups. Sorrel is surprisingly accommodating when it comes to growing conditions – it will thrive in good soil with full sun or produce smaller leaves in poor soil with partial shade. In other words, it’s a hardy plant that can adapt to a variety of environments if given the time. To maximize its green production, frequent harvesting and preventing flowering are key.
Once it does flower, the heads can be cut off and sautéed in butter for a flavorful garnish. Like many wild greens, sorrel leaves contain oxalic acid, so it’s essential to use them as a flavor complement in salads or cook them thoroughly to avoid any potential complications.
New Zealand Spinach
If you’re a fan of palak paneer or creamed spinach, you might be surprised to learn that New Zealand Spinach is an excellent substitute when your traditional spinach plants bolt after the cold weather sets in. This succulent, which thrives in warm temperatures and requires minimal watering, begins to grow around mid-summer and continues until early fall. As the seasons change, the plant will turn black, wither, and eventually die as soon as the first hint of cold weather appears.
New Zealand Spinach is an annual in zone 8 and below, spreading like a creeping vine that can be used as a seasonal ground cover in edible landscaping. When left to flower and seed, it will self-seed, allowing you to transplant young, spontaneous seedlings to new locations once they emerge the following year. Keep in mind that this plant is tap-rooted and doesn’t appreciate being transplanted when plants are more than an inch or two tall. Start from seed in the ground or transplant when small.
For raw consumption, young leaves are ideal, but you can also harvest older leaves by cutting off about half your vines periodically. Chop them up, sauté them, and run them through your food processor to create a base for any creamed spinach dish or dip – it’s particularly delicious in spinach and artichoke dip!
Purslane
Purslane is a fascinating and nutritious green that often sprouts in gardens as temperatures rise. Initially, I would remove it when it appeared, but after discovering it being sold at the farmer’s market, I was inspired to give it a taste. The flavor profile is surprisingly sweet, savory, and slightly lemony, with an impressive nutrient load that my body could feel almost instantly.
Today, instead of removing it, I use purslane in my daily salads, keeping its spread in check by yanking large sections out – including stems – if necessary. Sauteed, pureed, or frozen for later use, this versatile green is a great addition to cream-based soups. Once purslane starts flowering, I remove most of the plants to prevent over-seeding in future years, but leave at least one or two intact to seed out and provide more volunteer purslane for next year’s harvest.
Malabar
Malabar, also known as Malabar spinach, may not be true spinach, but it’s another vining succulent that excels as a hot-season substitute. Unlike some other varieties, this one tends to vine upwards, requiring sturdy trellises for support. A single plant can sprawl over 30 feet in just under two months, with leaves reaching the size of a palm or even larger, making harvesting a breeze.
The leaves have a unique gelatinous texture that some find unappealing raw, but when cooked and combined with cream and butter, they develop a flavor reminiscent of earthy spinach. This summer green is my go-to for sautéing and adding to quiche mixes, as its subtle flavor complements the eggs, cream, and herbs (like savory and true hyssop) beautifully.
When growing Malabar, be sure to provide ample space and light.
As you tire of harvesting the leaves, simply let it grow – this plant produces stunning pink flowers and deep purple fruits, making it a fantastic addition to any edible landscape.
Just be mindful that Malabar is an aggressive self-seeder and propagator, so consider planting it in a location where you don’t mind it spreading each year.
Chicory
Chicory, a type of leafy green, is likely already making its way into your meals, often disguised as radicchio in salad mixes or paired with walnuts and blue cheese in Belgian endive salads. Even the roasted roots might be hiding in your French Market coffee blend. This versatile green is not only edible for humans but also a cover crop in gardens and pastures.
However, it’s essential to grow chicory in continuously cool conditions, as its flavor becomes unpleasantly bitter when cultivated during hot summer months. Instead, plant chicory seeds in late fall or early spring, allowing the plants to thrive through winter (in some regions) before harvesting in early spring. Chicory’s unique bitter taste is believed to aid digestion, making it a popular addition to braised dishes like Thanksgiving feasts and end-of-meal salads.
Sea Kale
For garden enthusiasts seeking a low-maintenance and highly adaptable perennial kale, sea kale is an excellent choice. This versatile plant has been prized for its edible properties for over 1,000 years along the Atlantic coastline in Europe, where it’s been wild-foraged as a natural resource. More recently, sea kale has gained popularity in beach landscapes as a cultivated ornamental kale.
One of the key benefits of sea kale is its ability to thrive in poor soil conditions, including sandy soils. Additionally, its fragrant flowers attract beneficial insects and can be used as animal fodder, making it an attractive option for permaculture applications. While starting the seeds requires some effort, with proper soaking and removal of the corky outer layer, they will eventually germinate after at least 21 days. Providing shade protection may also be necessary in warmer temperatures.
However, once established, sea kale is relatively easy to maintain and can provide a bountiful harvest for years to come. For those looking to incorporate more greenery into their home or garden, sea kale offers an attractive alternative that’s both functional and visually appealing.
