Orach

Orach (Cultivated Variety)

 Orach is one of those Wild Edible Plants I have known for a long time. I remember the first time I found a stand of Wild Orach at a beach in Nova Scotia, I was so excited I made it part of our meal at our campsite that night. Along with other Wild edibles, mostly of the Mollusk and Crustacean type , we had a great free meal, compliments of Mother Nature!
 The Wild Orach, also known as Saltbush, is found in sandy soil at the beach. There are many plants in the Genus Atriplex and it is sometimes difficult to ID the species, to top it off , it looks a lot like Lambs Quarters to the untrained eye. The Wild Orach is best eaten when it is young and succulent as the older leaves can be bitter but the young leaves are very tasty.
  When I first started my garden, I was looking through my Ethnobotanical Catalog of seeds, and low and behold, I saw Orach listed! Of course I had to buy some seeds and have Orach in my garden. The seeds were easy to grow and before I knew it I had more Orach than I could eat! I did notice it was not the Orach I was used to seeing in my travels. The leaves were larger and lighter in color and more delicate than the wild variety.

Orach is used anyway you would use Spinach. It can be eaten raw or cooked and the cultivated varieties come in many colors. This year I bought some seeds for the magenta variety, vary cool looking plant.

Magenta Variety

 Orach makes a prolific amount of seeds and I have been saving my seeds from year to year so I don't have to buy them again. If you have a garden, I recommend giving Orach a try, it is a great tasting and nutritious vegetable and you don't have to live by the beach to enjoy it.
Peace