Spinach and relatives - The Manual of Seed Saving - page 211

HARVEST The first seeds typically ripen in midsummer. As soon as the membranes, which surround
individual seeds, are dry, quickly harvest seed stalks to avoid losing seed. Allow seeds to dry com-
pletely, then thresh in a bag and winnow with a sieve. Leave the membranes intact, as their removal
negatively affects germination rates.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
• leaf: size, juiciness, crispiness, true-to-type color (some red varieties tend to become more green in
time)
• plant: vigorous secondary growth
DISEASES AND PESTS Although the diseases affecting spinach can theoretically affect orache, this
hardly ever happens. The black bean aphid ( Aphis fabae ) can, however, sharply reduce seed yields.
Remedies: spray aphids with cold water, remove affected shoots.
CULTIVATION HISTORY Orache cultivation is documented in ancient Greece by Theophrast (3rd cen-
tury BC ) and in ancient Rome by Palladius (5th century AD ). The Romans brought orache to central
Europe, where it was widely grown; it is mentioned in the Capitulare de Villis (9th century) as well as
in the writings of St. Hildegard of Bingen (11th century). It is, however, seldom mentioned in veget-
able topics of the 16th and 17th centuries, likely due to the increasing diversity of leafy vegetables
around this time, which perhaps pushed orache into the background.
GOOD KING HENRY
Chenopodium bonus-henricus
Good King Henry is yet another leafy vegetable that was pushed aside when spinach was introduced to
the gardens of central Europe in the Middle Ages. But it remained at other locations: it is an old “vil-
lage plant” that follows in the footsteps of people. It self-sows and loves nitrogen-rich soils, which it
finds along paths all the way up into the doorsteps of Alpine dairies and cottages. Young leaves, which
have a flour-like powder on their undersides, make for a tasty, spinach-like vegetable with a vitamin C
content comparable to peppers and parsley. Other uses are not as well known: the young shoots of
early spring can be prepared and eaten like asparagus; young, unripe flower heads can be used like
cauliflower.
Good King Henry seeds