April 2008

Native to Yucatan Peninsula, one of the toughest ecosystems in the world, chaya is a staple of the Mayan diet. It's also called tree spinach or Mexican spinach but that's like comparing spinach to iceberg lettuce. According to a USDA report, chaya contains nearly twice as many important nutrients as spinach, including calcium, protein and Vitamin C.

Chaya is easy to grow almost anywhere. A native of a hot and dry ecosystem, it also thrives in the hot humid summers of Florida and Texas. In areas where temperatures occasionally drop below freezing, it may lose its leaves in the cold or even die back to the ground, but it quickly returns from temperatures as low as 25 degrees.

In more northern climates, it can be grown outdoors during the summer and brought inside to spend the winter in a sunny window. It's extremely drought tolerant but doesn't like wet feet and shouldn't be planted in the ground in areas where water is likely to stand.

It thrives in full sun, and grows quickly enough in tropical areas that it can be used as a hedge.

Like many tropical plants, chaya leaves contain hydrocyanic glycosides, a toxic compound easily destroyed by cooking. Even though some people eat raw chaya leaves, it is generally considered to be unwise. Fresh chaya can be substituted for spinach in many recipes or blanched leaves can be added to smoothies. It has a very bland taste and can be used in either sweet or savory recipes. The smallest leaves and the tips of the growing branches are the tastiest and least tough.

Our chaya plants do not have the stinging nettles found on some wild plants, they're the broad-leaf variety and are extremely productive.

We've never seen a pest or disease on chaya plants here, although caterpillars may defoliate young plants.

Stay happy and healthy!