If you like "greens" you will enjoy Chaya. It is firmer than spinach, but not as tough/chewy as collards. Chaya is great used instead of grape leaves to wrap rice/meat mixtures, in lasagna, and in soups. As a veggie alone, I like it with grated cheese on top.

Chaya responds well to pruning. I chopped mine down to 3' stumps a short time ago, and it is now over 10' tall and very lush.

The three-lobed variety is the main one I have eaten. I've had some of the multi-lobed leaves mixed in, and didn't notice a difference.I didn't strip the veins. The younger leaves are more tender, but you can use any of them if you plan a longer cooking time. Should be delish with ham hocks and a dash of vinegar when served. Yummy!

Wash your hands well after picking. The sap can be irritating. The leaves are supposed to have stinging hairs, but mine don't.

Lisa

Lisa,

I heard it should be boiled first for at least 5 minutes and the water discarded.

(Though Felix said that the water was drinkable and good for diabetes and other things. I have read on the web that there is some evidence of this.)

Then you can proceed with whatever dish you are making. My chaya babies are growing like gangbusters. (Thank you, Nova! The Duchesses are rooting....)

Does chaya stay single stemmed, more or less? Like a papaya? Or does it branch out into a shrubby form?

Chaya by itself doesn't taste very good in my opinion.
Cooking it with ham hocks and a bit of spice does make a nice pot of greens.
Remember with chaya to boil it first in just water about 15 or 20 minutes and drain off that water and rinse. It can be frozen at this stage for use later.

Thonotorose, The 5 lobed leaf chaya branches nicely into a small tree. The three lobed leaf is more single stalked, but does branch out some. The branches are very weak and will break off with a little tug or gust of wind. They do respond quickly to pruning, as low as you want, and make a wonderful hedge (if you like a lot of pruning!)

After the initial boiling & draining, I love to wrap stuff in them to steam or simmer. Fish, ground meat, rice, tamale mixtures, etc. Overlap a few leaves, stuff and roll, or do single leaf dolmas.

I DO love greens, and to be able to grow them year around would be heaven!

I'm going to try a small pot. Thanks for the advice on pre-boiling and freezing, as that is probably what I will have to do if they keep growing like they are now. I have a few small ones, and two larger ones, about 4 feet, that are going gangbusters.

Yes, I think I'd love a hedge of them. I could eat greens every day!

Too bad you can't eat them raw, though.

Please grow some Malabar Spinach then too, if you love greens.
They love summer here, are far easier to prepare, beautiful vines, and delicious. I've even seen it for sale at Publix occasionally for the last couple of years.
They will die back during winter, when you can grow all kinds of other stuff anyway. Mine reseed themselves and pop up when it gets hot. And I save some seeds to start in the spring, just in case.

Another green I've been eating a lot lately is the red leaf amaranth, aka Callaloo in the Caribbean. If left to go to seed it will reseed easily.

I have been thinking of growing those things. I have an amaranth plant, but it isn't that one, but yes, it reseeds itself readily every year.

I was planning a trip to Echo sometime this summer. I guess I could pick up the malabar spinach there. I haven't ever seen it anywhere else.

Maybe I could get someone to trade with me.

I'll look at my plants tomorrow. If there are any mature seeds on them I can send you some. I know there are amaranth seeds out there.
You can send me an e-mail at tf(spell it out)_1(AT)bellsouth(dot)net if you want some.