🍃 Orache

Orache, or mountain spinach, is a tall, easy plant with arrow-shaped leaves in red, purple, green or gold. It tastes like a mild spinach, and the colourful forms are as ornamental as any border plant. It tolerates heat and drought far better than spinach.

It self-seeds enthusiastically, so one sowing will provide plants for years. The red variety is the most popular, adding colour to salads.

Varieties to try

Red orache (deep ruby leaves)Green orache (mild)Golden orache (yellow-green)Verde (compact)

Sow from March to June, 1 cm deep, in rows 30–40 cm apart, and thin to 30 cm. Seeds germinate in 1–2 weeks. Sow a short row every 3 weeks for baby leaves, or let plants grow tall for ornamental interest.

Orache grows in any soil and is tolerant of poor or alkaline soil. A sunny position gives the best colour.

Orache seeds are of two sizes; the larger black seeds are best discarded, and the small brown ones are more reliable. It needs no special care, but germinates best in cool soil, so a late March or April sowing is ideal. In hot weather, plants run quickly to seed.

Top tips

• Sow in situ.
• Sow every 3 weeks.
• Tolerates poor soil.
• Full sun deepens the red.

Water in dry spells, and pinch out the growing tip to stop plants getting too tall and to encourage branching. Remove flowers to extend leaf production. Support tall plants.

Leaf miner, aphids and slugs may attack; pick off affected leaves. Plants are generally trouble-free. Let a few go to seed for self-sown plants next year.

Orache can reach 1.5 m in rich soil, so grow it at the back of a border or along a fence. The red forms make a striking backdrop for flowers. Because it self-seeds freely, remove the flower spikes if you do not want volunteers in every corner of the garden next year.

Top tips

• Pinch out the tip.
• Remove flower spikes.
• Support in wind.
• Let a few self-seed.

Watch out for

Leaf minerAphidsSlugsSelf-seeding

Pick young leaves from six weeks, cutting leaf tips or whole stems regularly. Young leaves are best; older leaves get coarse. Pick in the morning.

Regular harvesting keeps the plants producing. Cut plants back hard to renew growth. Seeds are edible as well.

The leaves are best in spring and early summer; later leaves can be tough. Cut stems back hard in midsummer to promote a fresh flush of young leaves.

Top tips

• Pick young leaves.
• Pick regularly.
• Cut back hard to renew.
• Eat the seeds too.

Use young orache leaves raw in salads for colour, or cook as spinach, in soups, quiches, curries, pasta and omelettes. Red varieties lose some colour when cooked. The flavour is mild and slightly salty.

Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. Blanch and freeze for winter.

Top tips

• Use red leaves raw for colour.
• Cook like spinach.
• Blanch and freeze.
• Add to soups.